Dubai Police foil scam offering 70 per cent discounts on traffic fines
The group lured victims by offering the discounts in fraudulent advertisements on social media platforms, police allege. The scammers then used stolen credit and debit card data to pay off the fines in full, and charged the victims the 'discounted' rate in cash.
'They were meeting the victims personally, collecting the money in cash and paying the full amount of traffic fines using the stolen cards,' said Dubai Police in a statement.
'They illegally obtained the discounted amounts after the victim received confirmation of completing the payment.'
The force did not specify the number of suspects, their nationalities or the number of victims.
'It is a double crime combining stealing bank details and financial fraud,' the police spokesperson said.
Police said if someone is aware stolen credit cards are being used to pay their fines, they are also committing a crime.
Stay vigilant
Officials at the anti-fraud section of Dubai's CID warned the public to stay alert and not be deceived by similar fake promotions.
'There are official channels to pay the traffic fines. Unverified offers of discounts [are] a crime punishable by the law in the UAE,' said the spokesperson.
Last month, Emirates airline said it was suspending its social media advertising to protect customers from the growing nuisance of online scams.
The Dubai-based carrier said it acted in response to 'fraudulent advertisements currently circulating across social media platforms' that claim to be from Emirates.
The company warned that cybercriminals were impersonating its official website by using branded visuals, unauthorised trademarks and links closely resembling those belonging to Emirates.
Such phishing scams are created to lure customers into paying out for tickets, sharing personal information or following malicious links. Emirates said it is working with social media platforms to have the fraudulent advertising removed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE traffic alert: Partial intersection closure in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Police have announced that a key intersection in the city will be partially closed for maintenance work. The work will happen in four stages. Stage one will be from Thursday, August 7, to Monday, August 11. The intersection affected is the one on Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street and Al Falah Street. The map below shows the closure area. The closure will be in place from 11pm on August 7 to 5am on August 11.
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Vishing awareness now live in Kaspersky ASAP portfolio
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Kaspersky has introduced a new module on vishing (voice phishing) to its ASAP (Automated Security Awareness Platform), continuing its mission to build practical cyber-hygiene skills among employees across industries. The latest update addresses one of the most manipulative and growing types of social engineering, and teaches users how to recognize and respond to voice-based scams. Vishing has become a major vector for corporate fraud. For example, AIB saw a 79% year-on-year increase in vishing attacks in early 2025, including a case where a business customer nearly lost €41,000 during a scam call. Additionally, in a notable case disclosed by Google and labeled UNC6040, attackers targeted Salesforce users at around 20 organizations via voice phishing, tricking employees into installing a fake app giving full access to corporate data. Vishing is the fraudulent practice of convincing individuals to reveal personal information and bank details over the phone. The fraudulent scheme might start with an unusual e-mail, and while regular phishing emails ask the victim to follow a link, vishing emails ask that they urgently call the number provided in the email. Kaspersky experts emphasize that this method is used by cybercriminals because when people look at a phishing site, they have the time to think about their actions or notice signs that the page is not legitimate. But when victims talk on the phone, they are usually distracted and find it more difficult to focus. Under these circumstances, attackers do everything they can to further throw people off balance: rushing them, intimidating them and demanding that they urgently provide the needed information that helps them to steal money. The new module within Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform provides real-world case studies, interactive lessons, and practical scenarios to help users identify red flags and adopt safer communication habits. Alongside this release, Kaspersky ASAP now supports over 30 languages across all user interfaces and training materials, making cybersecurity awareness more accessible to global teams. 'As social engineering evolves, so must the way we educate people about it. Vishing is no longer just a threat to individuals – it's increasingly being used to target organizations, leading to financial losses, data leaks, and reputational damage. Our new vishing module equips users with the knowledge to defend themselves against voice-based deception – a threat that is becoming increasingly sophisticated and personal. We help companies prepare their employees to recognize and resist this type of attack. Since vishing is often a gateway to more serious breaches, it's vital to build awareness across a wide range of related topics,' said Tatyana Shumaylova, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Kaspersky Security Awareness. To learn more about Kaspersky ASAP, please follow the link. About Kaspersky Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. With over a billion devices protected to date from emerging cyberthreats and targeted attacks, Kaspersky's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect individuals, businesses, critical infrastructure, and governments around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading digital life protection for personal devices, specialized security products and services for companies, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. We help millions of individuals and over 200,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
ESET joins Europol's Cyber Intelligence Extension Programme
Dubai, UAE: ESET, Europe's leading global cybersecurity company, is proud to announce its participation in the pilot phase of the Cyber Intelligence Extension Programme (CIEP), a new initiative launched by Europol's European Cybercrime Centre (EC3). The program aims to strengthen public-private cooperation in the fight against cybercrime by enabling real-time collaboration and intelligence sharing. As part of this initiative, ESET Chief Research Officer Roman Kováč, and Senior Malware Researcher Jakub Souček, recently spent several days at Europol headquarters in The Hague meeting EC3 teams and exploring ways in which ESET's threat intelligence can directly support investigations into ransomware operations, payment fraud schemes, or complex cybercrime infrastructure. Europol functions as a people hub, a data hub, and a case hub, a place where collaboration, intelligence, and operations converge. ESET's team met with law enforcement officers from multiple countries, experiencing firsthand how one central platform fosters effective cross-border cooperation. 'We believe the CIEP sets a new benchmark for actionable intelligence sharing, joint operational readiness, and collective impact,' says Roman Kováč, Chief Research Officer at ESET. ESET has a long history of collaboration with global law enforcement agencies, including in EC3's Advisory Group, where we are represented by ESET Senior Research Fellow Righard Zwienenberg. ESET has also contributed to successful law enforcement operations, including the takedowns of prominent threats such as Gamarue, RedLine, Grandoreiro, Lumma Stealer, and most recently, Danabot. The new CIEP initiative elevates this collaboration further, creating opportunities for direct, real-time engagement with Europol's operational teams. Public-private partnerships like this one are crucial in mitigating risks within today's rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape. ESET extends sincere gratitude to Marijn Schuurbiers, Head of Operations, Gonçalo Ribeiro, Head of Cyber Intelligence and architect of the CIEP program, and to all dedicated professionals at EC3 for their continued efforts in enhancing the fight against cybercrime across Europe and beyond. Cyber threats evolve rapidly, but through partnerships such as this, so does our collective defense. Together we can make Europe a safer place. About ESET ESET® provides cutting-edge digital security to prevent attacks before they happen. By combining the power of AI and human expertise, ESET stays ahead of emerging global cyberthreats, both known and unknown— securing businesses, critical infrastructure, and individuals. Whether it's endpoint, cloud or mobile protection, our AI-native, cloud-first solutions and services remain highly effective and easy to use. ESET technology includes robust detection and response, ultra-secure encryption, and multifactor authentication. With 24/7 real-time defense and strong local support, we keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. The ever-evolving digital landscape demands a progressive approach to security: ESET is committed to world-class research and powerful threat intelligence, backed by R&D centers and a strong global partner network. For more information, visit or follow our social media, podcasts and blogs. Media Contact Sanjeev Vistar Communications PO Box 127631 Dubai, UAE Email: sanjeev@
