While cyberattacks increased throughout the pandemic, Dubai recorded around 25,000 e-crime reports.

Every year thousands of people file criminal reports of impersonation.

Impersonation is the offense of misrepresenting to be another person. It aims to mislead others for personal benefits or entertainment purposes.

It is illegal to exploit someone's private information for fraudulent purposes.

Notify the authorities if your personal information gets out on any social media platform without your consent. Impersonation includes activities like utilizing someone else's photo without their consent.

The UAE Personal Data Protection is an integrated framework that ensures confidentiality. It protects privacy by providing good management for optimal information management and security. The law regulates the handling of confidential data of individuals and protects it. 

The Federal Decree-Law no. 5 of 2021 on Combating Cybercrimes, protects new areas of the internet. Under the new UAE cybercrime law, creating a fake account or posting misleading advertisements online can land users in jail.

UAE imposes a fine of up to AED 200,000 for online impersonation. If the offender uses false accounts to defame the person, they must serve jail time for two years.

The government imposes a fine of not more than AED 200,000 or imprisonment if someone uses a fake email, website, or account.

Posting deceptive ads or incorrect data about a product online will lead to imprisonment and/or a fine of not less than AED 20,000.

Selling medical products without a license is a punishable offense. Performing online surveys and polls without a license imposes a fine of AED 100,000-  AED 500,000 or imprisonment or both. 

Fraudsters impersonating officials in the UAE will face 5 years in prison. The same punishment applies to anyone who obstructs a public profession or service.  If anyone carries out a task without proper qualification is illegal.

The punishment for impersonating a law enforcement personnel lands a minimum sentence of one year in jail. Scams over the phone and online have increased recently. The callers claimed to be police, CID officers, or Central Bank officials.

Police have instructed people not to share bank details, one-time passwords, CCV codes, or click on unfamiliar links. They warned citizens to be careful of offers that sounded too promising and encouraged them to report all suspect calls or emails to the police.

The UAE aims to improve the nation's safety and security by supporting society's protection and stability. They preserve the rights of people and organizations. Residents can report suspicious activities to Dubai Police's e-crimes unit at www.ecrime.ae or call 901.