Dubai Police establishes AI crimes department as UAE officials warn of scams

Dubai Police has established a department for crimes involving artificial intelligence, Brigadier Saeed Mohammed Al Hajri said at a press conference launching Cyber Security Awareness Month, Emirates 24|7 reported on 1 October. Officials also described a deepfake detection programme developed by the Dubai Electronic Security Center and warned of AI-assisted scams aimed at job seekers.

Dubai Police examines AI-generated evidence

Al Hajri, director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation at Dubai Police, said the force had encountered AI use in fraud, phishing, data hacking and deepfakes. Criminals had also created fraudulent pages and used different methods to move proceeds and obscure where the money went, he said. Dubai Police established the specialist department to respond to the growing variety of crimes involving the technology.

Al Hajri said the Electronic Evidence Lab examines faces, voices and video, and prepares reports on suspected AI misuse, including deepfakes. Improvements in generated images, sound and synchronisation require continued monitoring, he said. That work gives investigators a way to examine material whose apparent speaker or subject may have been fabricated, alongside the police department’s work on emerging offences.

Job seekers face a more immediate route into those investigations. According to Al Hajri, fraudsters use AI to make fake employment advertisements more convincing and distribute them through social media. Some offers ask applicants to supply bank account details or to receive and transfer money as supposed remote work. Al Hajri warned that the funds could be connected to fraud, money laundering or other crimes, and that a deceived applicant could become involved in a criminal investigation.

The warning concerns more than whether an advertisement looks authentic. In the scheme Al Hajri described, the victim’s account and actions become part of the movement of money. He said police had observed both AI-assisted deception and methods for concealing the route taken by criminal proceeds. For an applicant, the request to handle payments is therefore a consequential part of the offer, even if the employment pitch appeared credible.

Sarab and Razzam form Dubai’s response

Amer Sharaf, executive director of cybersecurity at the Dubai Electronic Security Center, said the centre had developed Sarab to assess AI-fabricated video and monitor deepfakes. He said it was built with national expertise and made available through open information sources for users and specialised organisations. The centre has also developed Razzam, an application that Sharaf said helps users protect themselves when using websites and electronic services.

Sharaf described AI as a tool for both attackers and defenders. He said it enables attackers to exploit vulnerabilities more quickly and increase the pace of attacks, while helping security teams monitor and analyse large amounts of data. For some vulnerabilities and updates, he said, the necessary response is measured in minutes rather than days. His account places speed alongside detection as a practical demand on the teams responsible for securing systems.

The centre’s work sits alongside a public-awareness effort. Sharaf said Dubai’s cybersecurity strategy, launched in 2024, includes community safety and security, and that initiatives promoting awareness and safer use of digital technology stem from that focus. The press conference opened Cyber Security Awareness Month, which runs throughout October. Officials used it to address fabricated content and attacks on connected devices as well as theft of accounts and data.

Ministry of Interior warns about home cameras

Colonel Dr. Engineer Ibrahim Al-Yamahi, director of the Digital Security Department at the Ministry of Interior, warned that an intruder who gained access to a home surveillance camera or another connected device could obtain private details about a household. He urged users to choose cameras carefully, consider where they install them, apply protective measures and keep associated software and applications updated. A device installed to watch over a home could instead give someone else a view inside it, he said.

Al-Yamahi also warned that fabricated media had grown more elaborate. Deepfakes could extend to complete, film-length content, he said, and voice imitation had become more sophisticated. His warning covered material that a person might see or hear as well as devices that person might own. He called cybersecurity a shared responsibility and said investment in technology needed to be accompanied by awareness of how to use it safely.

For households, Al-Yamahi’s advice extended beyond securing cameras before an intrusion. He urged people to report breaches and attempts at extortion, warning that a failure to report could allow the offender to continue. He said an intruder’s access to a connected camera could reveal details and private information inside the home, turning equipment intended for protection into a means of violating family privacy.