Online safety and digital self-defence

Your accounts hold your messages, photos, money and identity. Protecting them is as important as locking your front door, and knowing what to do if someone tries to blackmail you can make all the difference.

Strong passwords and two-step verification

• The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recommends using three random words to create a password that is hard to crack, for example 'TeapotCactusRiver' (do not use this one).
• Use a different password for your email than for anything else. If your email is hacked, criminals can reset all your other accounts.
• A password manager can help you create and remember strong passwords (NCSC).
• Turn on 2-step verification (also called two-factor authentication or 2FA) on email, social media and gaming accounts. It means a stolen password alone is not enough.
• Do not use family, pets' or team names in passwords, especially if you post about them (Crimestoppers).
• Install software and app updates promptly, because they contain vital security fixes (NCSC).

Spotting phishing and scams

• Authority: messages pretending to be from a bank, school, police or delivery company.
• Urgency: 'act within 24 hours or your account will be closed'.
• Emotion: messages designed to make you panic, hope or feel curious, so you respond without thinking.
• Scarcity: 'only 3 left', 'limited offer', fear of missing out.
• Current events: scams linked to news, exams, sales seasons or big events (all five signs from the NCSC).
• If in doubt, do not click. Contact the organisation directly using the details on its official website, not those in the message.

Privacy settings and what you share

• Set your social media profiles to private and review who can see your posts and friend lists (Crimestoppers).
• Think before accepting friend requests from people you do not know in real life.
• Never share birth dates, addresses, passport or Emirates ID details, or passwords (Crimestoppers).
• What goes online stays online, including for future universities and employers.
• Never send intimate images of yourself to anyone. Once sent, you lose control of them.

If someone tries to blackmail you

• Sextortion is when someone threatens to share intimate images unless you send money, more images or something else. The FBI reports that criminals often use fake profiles on social media, gaming sites or video chat apps, and frequently target boys aged 14 to 17.
• It is never your fault. The criminal is the one breaking the law.
• Do not pay. Get help before deciding anything: the FBI notes that cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail and harassment.
• Stop all contact and block the person, but do not delete the profile or messages, as they can help police identify the criminal (FBI). Note the username and profile link and keep the threatening messages.
• Never save, screenshot, forward or share the intimate image itself, even as evidence. Leave that to the police.
• Tell a trusted adult straight away. This is too big to handle alone, and adults and police deal with it every day.
• To help remove images taken when you were under 18, NCMEC's free Take It Down service creates a digital fingerprint (hash) of the image on your device so participating platforms can find and remove copies. The image itself is not uploaded.

Reporting in the UAE

• Dubai Police: report cybercrime through the eCrime platform at ecrime.ae (also ecrimehub.gov.ae). You can upload screenshots as evidence, and the service is available 24/7.
• Abu Dhabi Police: the Aman service takes blackmail reports 24/7 on toll-free 8002626, by text (Gulf News lists 2828; the UAE Government portal lists 8002828), or by email at aman@adpolice.gov.ae, with complete confidentiality.
• Anywhere in the UAE you can also report to your nearest police station or call 999 (UAE Government portal).
• The UAE Digital Wellbeing Support Line, 80091, offers advice on everyday digital situations. It is an advice line, not a crime-reporting line.
• Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrimes took effect on 2 January 2022 and sets out offences and penalties for crimes committed using technology (UAE Government portal).