Abu Dhabi public urged to report online blackmail as prosecutors see more cases

Threats included the leaking of private photos, videos and voice recordings

Almost half of all cybercrime cases in Abu Dhabi involved threats aimed at forcing vulnerable victims to hand over money, prosecutors said. AP

Prosecutors in Abu Dhabi recorded more than 208 cases of alleged cyber blackmail so far this year.

This represents about half of the 430 cybercrime cases noted in total, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said this week.

Most cases involved blackmailers demanding sexual favours in exchange for not leaking private photos, videos or voice recordings. The second most common scenario was blackmailing for money.

"There was a woman who paid her blackmailer big amounts of money for a whole year hoping that he would stop threatening her," said Abdullah Al Mansouri, a chief prosecutor.

Victims must be aware the blackmailer will always ask for more and will never stop

“Victims must be aware the blackmailer will always ask for more and will never stop,” said Mr Al Mansouri. He urged victims to report such incidents immediately.

Figures are substantially down on 2019 when 605 cases of online blackmail were recorded. In 2018, blackmail cases stood at 486. Despite people spending more time online this year because of the Covid-pandemic, officials attributed the decrease to education and more awareness. The legal outcome of this year's cases was not revealed.

“We focused a lot on educating the public on how to avoid cyber blackmail and that they won’t be held legally responsible if they report it," said Mr Al Mansouri.

“We originally aimed for cases to drop below 100 this year. However, due to the pandemic and the increase of internet use we are slightly above 200.”

“In many cases the blackmailer would pose as an attractive woman and share ... photos and videos with men to lure them to share [theirs].” Women have also been tricked by people who pose as women trying to befriend them.

“The blackmailer would complement the victim on her fashion style for instance and ask her to share more photos," said Mr Al Mansouri.

He said women were vulnerable to blackmail because they often did not want their private material to be shared “considering traditions and society”. Many people are also reluctant to report cases because they fear being prosecuted.

But officials sought to assuage these concerns, saying confidentially is paramount.

People can also use the "inform the prosecution" smartphone app.

Mr Al Mansouri also said the courts work with social media and technology firms to hit back against hackers.

"We had a case last week of a woman who was blackmailed by someone outside the country. He hacked into her account and gained access to her photos.

"We worked with the company that runs the app to regain control of her account. The hacker was not able to achieve his goals."

He cautioned that cyber blackmail is a serious crime and can spiral out of control. “In some cases it has led to murder, or permanent physical damage."

Judicial officials have ramped up awareness campaigns in recent years to educate people about these pitfalls.

Mr Al Mansouri said he is confident that cases won’t rise more than previous years. “Because now there is more awareness."

Under UAE law, cyber crime is punished by a minimum two years in jail and/or fines that range between Dh250,000 and 500,000.