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Gang extorts money with footage of sexual scenes
Gang extorts money with footage of sexual scenes 25 August 2013 UAE victims are among those ensnared by an international gang of cyber criminals who lure people into sharing sexually explicit video clips, before putting them online and demanding money for their removal. The Abu Dhabi Police are warning residents to be careful online, after they received a number of complaints from victims who were hoodwinked by the criminals, who pose as beautiful woman. Criminal Investigation Department Director Colonel Dr Rashid Mohammad Burasheed said the gang, who targeted the Arabian Gulf, had recently begun threatening victims in the country, who were using social networking sites, with the revealing recordings. They were made in response to sexual images of the women they were supposedly talking to, though Burasheed said the footage was just duplicated scenes and the women were not connected to the criminals. He said the victims told police they were blackmailed by that gang which extorted money from them by promising to remove the compromising video clips from a free video-sharing website on the Internet. The money was then to be transferred to offshore bank accounts. “Blackmailers target the youth, particularly males, and chat with them through PC chatting applications over social networking sites like Skype,” he noted, adding the gang used nicknames for the supposed women, dubbed voices and showed videos of exposed parts of their bodies. Burasheed called on Internet users not to trust strangers who they meet over the Internet or e-mails sent from suspicious websites. “Since these criminals are working from outside the country, it is difficult for the Abu Dhabi Police to locate them, but it is not impossible as Abu Dhabi Police address and pass the information to the security bodies at countries where such kind of crimes are known, so to locate the criminals and arrest them,” he said. news@khaleejtimes.com Men and women being targeted, says Al Dhahiri The head of organised crime at CID, Lt. Colonel Tahir Al Dhahiri, warned the cyber blackmailers were targeting women as well as men. He said an Arab woman in her 40s said she was lured into porn scenes by one of the gang members who posed as a famous, powerful man, who hoped to recruit her into a private company. It transpired the perpetrator had hacked the woman’s e-mail account. In another case, the gang drained the savings of a Gulf man who paid Dh10,000 so the blackmailers would take out the video clip in which he appeared in sexual scenes. Al Dhahiri said an Arab architect also lodged a complaint that he was lured by a gang and involved in porn scenes. The victim said he was a father with teenage children, but had got involved in such illicit activities because he was living alone as his wife was back home. Continue reading
UAE gets thumbs up as top expat location
UAE gets thumbs up as top expat location Chris Ferguson (Opinion) / 25 August 2013 Dubai has become a centre of financial sophistication “Where in the world do I want to be?” For many expatriates that dream location will be the UAE. Indeed, the recent NatWest International Personal Banking Quality of Life Index survey has confirmed that this year the UAE is in third place, up from 10th position in just three years. This move up the ladder is no surprise to those of us already enjoying the benefits of tax free, above average salaries which are the norm for expats working here. For a ‘quality of life’ index to stand up it has to encompass the categories ‘employment prospects’ and ‘financial status’. These are the parmount considerations for any would-be expatriate. The expanding network of expertise to be found in Dubai’s International Finance Centre provides a vital opportunity for expatriates to maximise their full wealth potential during their time here. — KT file photo And so it will be no surprise to learn that a major theme emerging from GWM’s discussions with our private clients concerns the universal need for professional advice on effective money management; the kind that both protects and builds wealth. In this context, Dubai’s story is an inspirational one. It has emerged from the desert sands to become one of the world’s most sought after locations. It achieved this status because it had the determination to protect its natural resources and the foresight to build upon them for future generations’ prosperity. Any location hoping to remain a universal favourite must build the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the levels of sophisticated financial planning today’s expatriates require in order to protect and build their private wealth. This infrastructure must offer a level of protection that safeguards existing savings and investments as well as the necessary regulatory gumption to licence only bona fide financial management companies, proficient and skilled in all areas of investment advisory and management work. Great strides have been taken by the UAE’s financial regulators to oversee the growth and development of a finance sector that is capable of meeting and matching its counterparts in the global arena. The recent opening in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) of the first FTSE office in this region is an example of how this approach is bearing fruit. Dubai is increasingly recognised as a centre of financial sophistication that can offer global players, such as the index provider, a gateway to this high-growth region. The expanding network of expertise to be found in Dubai’s International Finance Centre (DIFC) provides a vital opportunity for expatriates to maximise their full wealth potential during their time here. As an indication of how successful the DIFC has been over its first nine years in operation it now employs over 14,000 people and is home to 940 companies. The DIFC has confirmed that it continues to receive active interest from companies from the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East all keen to set up shop. The recent news that Abu Dhabi is to set up its own financial free zone will surely set the UAE bar even higher. Another high quality international finance centre will attract even more major players increasing the tiers of expertise and experience in all areas of investment and money management. As with the DIFC, the Abu Dhabi World Financial Market is expected to mature into a significant financial hub with its own legal structure, regulator and courts. Such developments are in keeping with both Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s declared intent to diversify their economies so they are less oil-dependent. The financial services industry is a global market growth area, and paving the way now with the necessary infrastructure to house international finance centres of excellence will ensure its continuing attraction to the world’s best workforce. Indeed, it may not be long before we see the UAE at the top of the indices for most favoured expatriate location. The writer is the managing director of the UAE, Guardian Wealth Management. Views expressed by the author are his own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy Continue reading
Obama, Cameron weigh Syria chemical weapons response
Obama, Cameron weigh Syria chemical weapons response (AFP) / 25 August 2013 US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed their grave concern on Saturday about the ‘increasing signs’ of a major chemical weapons attack in Syria. A White House statement said the two leaders vowed during a telephone call to “continue to consult closely” regarding the alleged attack near Damascus on Wednesday, as well as potential international responses. But Downing Street went further, noting that Obama and Cameron “are both gravely concerned by… the increasing signs that this was a significant chemical weapons attack carried out by the Syrian regime against its own people.” “The fact that President Bashar Al Assad has failed to cooperate with the UN suggests that the regime has something to hide,” the British statement said, stressing that “significant use of chemical weapons would merit a serious response from the international community.” Cameron also spoke separately with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Another White House statement regarding Obama’s meeting with top aides in his National Security Council appeared to give credence to reports of the chemical attack on rebel-held areas near the Syrian capital. “In coordination with international partners and mindful of the dozens of contemporaneous witness accounts and record of the symptoms of those killed, the US intelligence community continues to gather facts to ascertain what occurred,” it said. “The president also received a detailed review of a range of potential options he had requested be prepared for the United States and the international community to respond to the use of chemical weapons.” The meeting came a day after US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel said the military had presented options to Obama and was moving forces into place ahead of any possible decision. Obama has so far voiced caution, warning that a hasty military response could have unforeseen consequences, including embroiling the United States in another prolonged Middle East conflict. But he is under mounting pressure to act following reports of the alleged chemical weapons attack, which Doctors Without Borders said had killed 355 people, due to “neurotoxic” symptoms. Opposition groups say the reported attack was carried out by Assad’s forces and that it killed more than 1,000 people. Continue reading
