*Public urged to report online fraud immediately
Photographing accidents by mobile phones and cameras is a crime, which is punishable according to Qatar Penal Code, an official of the Ministry of Interior has said.
“In 2017, Law No. 4 of 2017 was issued amending Article 333 of the Penal Code in the State of Qatar in order to add the criminalisation of unauthorised photography through cameras and mobile phones; not only accidents, but everything that violates the sanctity of private life. The article stipulates that any violator of this law shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years and by a fine not exceeding QR 10,000,” he explained.
While reiterating its advice to be cautious to online fraud, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has urged the public to report such case immediately to the authorities concerned.
First Lt. Sheikh Ahmed Hamad Hasan al-Thani, awareness officer at Cyber and Financial Crimes Prevention Department, said the Cyber and Financial Crimes Prevention Department should be informed about the incident immediately through email, phone, Metrash2 or by personal presence in order to initiate search and investigation.
First Lt. Sheikh Ahmed, awareness officer at Cyber and Financial Crimes Prevention Department, was addressing a webinar on Cyber and Financial Crimes , organised by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) Wednesday.
He said blackmailing is a crime and it draws punishment. “Upon falling victim to blackmailing, don’t respond to the perpetrator at all, and block him from all communication channels.The Economic and Cyber Crime Combating Department must be informed directly through the available reporting channels,” he said.
“The Department mainly collects inferences, investigates, probes and searches for perpetrators with the use of the latest tools, programmes and methods to track down the perpetrators and reach their real identities via the internet. The department is also responsible for monitoring all that would violate the law or security of cyberspace. The department receives complaints from the public and companies and then proceeds with its policing work in collecting inferences to find out the perpetrator,” he said.
“As per the Qatar Law No. 14 of 2014 (Cybercrime Prevention Law), any act involving an unlawful use of an information technology technique, an information system or the Internet illegally, in violation of the provisions of this law is cybercrime. The penalties in Law No. 14 of 2014, the Cyber Crime Prevention Law in the country vary according to the offence, ranging from six months to five years imprisonment and fines ranging from QR 10,000 to 500,000,” he explained.
The officer also urged the public to be careful while using credit cards and protect cards and email.
Sharing tips to protect credit/debit cards, First Lt. Sheikh Ahmed said: “Personal information should not be disclosed by email, such as name and credit card number. Non-disclosure of the credit card PIN to anyone, regardless of his level of importance. Always try to memorise the card’s PIN and avoid writing it. If the payment is made in a restaurant or anywhere, you must ask the staff there to bring the mobile payment device and should not give him the card and the password. Make sure to use safe and trusted sites when using the card, and do not purchase from fake or unknown sites. The bank must be directly informed in case of discovering any fraud and theft, and then a complaint should be filed at the Economic and Electronic Crime Prevention Department.”
Regarding email, he urged the public to perform a two-step verification process to secure email access. Additional security measures should be set up in the email, such as a phone number and a backup email. Don’t open links from un-trusted sources. Use updated security tools on computers, such as anti-virus programmes and firewalls. Don’t open suspicious or anonymous attachments. Personal information should not be disclosed by email, such as name and credit card number, date of birth and address,” he said.
He advised parents to block inappropriate websites for children and said phones or computers should not be left with children unattended. “All latest phones come with Kids Mode, where most harmful content is automatically blocked for children. Parental control applications can be used to filter harmful content in children's phones,” he said.
“In 2017, Law No. 4 of 2017 was issued amending Article 333 of the Penal Code in the State of Qatar in order to add the criminalisation of unauthorised photography through cameras and mobile phones; not only accidents, but everything that violates the sanctity of private life. The article stipulates that any violator of this law shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years and by a fine not exceeding QR 10,000,” he explained.
While reiterating its advice to be cautious to online fraud, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has urged the public to report such case immediately to the authorities concerned.
First Lt. Sheikh Ahmed Hamad Hasan al-Thani, awareness officer at Cyber and Financial Crimes Prevention Department, said the Cyber and Financial Crimes Prevention Department should be informed about the incident immediately through email, phone, Metrash2 or by personal presence in order to initiate search and investigation.
First Lt. Sheikh Ahmed, awareness officer at Cyber and Financial Crimes Prevention Department, was addressing a webinar on Cyber and Financial Crimes , organised by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) Wednesday.
He said blackmailing is a crime and it draws punishment. “Upon falling victim to blackmailing, don’t respond to the perpetrator at all, and block him from all communication channels.The Economic and Cyber Crime Combating Department must be informed directly through the available reporting channels,” he said.
“The Department mainly collects inferences, investigates, probes and searches for perpetrators with the use of the latest tools, programmes and methods to track down the perpetrators and reach their real identities via the internet. The department is also responsible for monitoring all that would violate the law or security of cyberspace. The department receives complaints from the public and companies and then proceeds with its policing work in collecting inferences to find out the perpetrator,” he said.
“As per the Qatar Law No. 14 of 2014 (Cybercrime Prevention Law), any act involving an unlawful use of an information technology technique, an information system or the Internet illegally, in violation of the provisions of this law is cybercrime. The penalties in Law No. 14 of 2014, the Cyber Crime Prevention Law in the country vary according to the offence, ranging from six months to five years imprisonment and fines ranging from QR 10,000 to 500,000,” he explained.
The officer also urged the public to be careful while using credit cards and protect cards and email.
Sharing tips to protect credit/debit cards, First Lt. Sheikh Ahmed said: “Personal information should not be disclosed by email, such as name and credit card number. Non-disclosure of the credit card PIN to anyone, regardless of his level of importance. Always try to memorise the card’s PIN and avoid writing it. If the payment is made in a restaurant or anywhere, you must ask the staff there to bring the mobile payment device and should not give him the card and the password. Make sure to use safe and trusted sites when using the card, and do not purchase from fake or unknown sites. The bank must be directly informed in case of discovering any fraud and theft, and then a complaint should be filed at the Economic and Electronic Crime Prevention Department.”
Regarding email, he urged the public to perform a two-step verification process to secure email access. Additional security measures should be set up in the email, such as a phone number and a backup email. Don’t open links from un-trusted sources. Use updated security tools on computers, such as anti-virus programmes and firewalls. Don’t open suspicious or anonymous attachments. Personal information should not be disclosed by email, such as name and credit card number, date of birth and address,” he said.
He advised parents to block inappropriate websites for children and said phones or computers should not be left with children unattended. “All latest phones come with Kids Mode, where most harmful content is automatically blocked for children. Parental control applications can be used to filter harmful content in children's phones,” he said.
