Abu Dhabi Police warn against online 'sex traps'

By Samreen Hayat | The 971 Report

Abu Dhabi Police are warning residents against an international criminal gang luring male victims using explicit videos and then blackmailing them.

According to officials, the gang would draw men into participating in online sex chats and then record the encounters, using the footage to extort money from the victims.

The criminals record the men's activities without their knowledge and then demand a huge sum for not revealing the videos, police said.

Colonel Dr. Rashid Mohammed Borshid, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), warned the public against falling prey to cyber fraud and extortion, according to a statement.

The warning is part of an Abu Dhabi Police awareness campaign to combat cybercrime.

“The gang specifically targets young people, particularly males. It communicates with them via electronic applications on computers using some social media sites, including Skype. They use aliases for the girls who lure them through dubbed voices to film the male victims in sexually revealing positions," explained Colonel Borshid.

The gang used explicit images of women to tempt men to engage in sexual acts, such as undressing and posing in an indecent manner. They then posted the videos online, compelling victims to pay a sum to remove the video.

One Gulf victim forked out AED 10,000 to withdraw a clip of him engaged in sexual acts before contacting authorities.

Another victim, a married Arab architect, also filed a complaint saying he had been lured by the gang into sexual scenes.  The police statement said the man justified his involvement in the acts because his wife resides in their native country.

Colonel Borshid called on residents to be vigilant when dealing with content online and to not succumb to extortion.

"It is vitally important to notify the police when any individual falls prey to cybercrime in order to ensure the proper search and investigation operations can be carried out. This would lead to the quick identification and arrest of offenders,” he said.