Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (WAM)
The UAE called for closer cooperation across borders, including the exchange of intelligence and the conduct of joint investigations, at a high-level session held as part of the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Abu Dhabi 2026).
Colonel Dana Humaid Al Marzouqi, Director-General of International Affairs also urged authorities to disrupt the financial channels that sustain criminals during a session hosted by the UAE Ministry of Interior.
The session was titled “No Victim Without Identity, No Crime Without Prosecution: Tackling Cyber-Fraud in the Age of AI". It brought together Monica Juma, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); Dr Kongkrisada Kittithirawong, Executive Director of the ASEANAPOL Secretariat; Dr Omar Ali Saifuddin, Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies at Rabdan Academy; Nathalie Gendre of the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance; Alex Casagrande of the Australian Federal Police; and Eileen Yap, Assistant Commissioner of the Singapore Police Force, along with a range of officials, experts, and specialists.
Colonel Dana Humaid Al Marzouqi, Director-General of International Affairs, said the growing threat of cyber-fraud is closely tied to organised criminal networks that manipulate trust, fear, and personal vulnerability to defraud their targets.
She explained that such networks prey on groups including older people, women, children, and workers, with fraudulent employment offers sometimes being used to lure individuals into situations of human trafficking and subsequently force them to participate in criminal activities.
She referred to UNHCR figures showing that approximately 118 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide in 2025, noting that displacement can leave certain groups particularly susceptible to exploitation through deceptive offers and purported opportunities.
She further highlighted the growing practice of compelling trafficking victims to carry out criminal acts as part of cyber-fraud schemes. According to INTERPOL, operations of this kind can involve hundreds of thousands of people.
Addressing the role of AI, Colonel Dana explained that the technology is enabling fraudsters to refine established methods while operating on a much larger scale.
She noted that AI-enabled fraud can generate 4.5 times greater returns through techniques such as voice and identity impersonation, while allowing criminal operations to be expanded rapidly.
She stressed that technology is an enabler rather than the underlying driver of these crimes, which are supported by wider criminal activities involving illicit finance, human trafficking, money laundering, and corruption.
She outlined the UAE’s approach to confronting fraud, emphasising the country’s commitment to safeguarding all people living within its borders, representing more than 200 nationalities.
The approach is built around three main principles: addressing fraud as a form of organised crime, stepping up international cooperation to identify and pursue the networks responsible, and disrupting the financial channels that sustain them.
Under the first principle, law-enforcement efforts focus on the individuals who organise and finance fraudulent operations, together with the money-laundering networks associated with them. This includes tracing the movement of illicit proceeds and pursuing the structures that enable criminal networks to operate.
The second principle concerns the treatment of people who have been trafficked and compelled to commit crimes. Rather than treating these individuals as offenders, the approach recognises them as victims and provides appropriate support. It also places emphasis on assisting people who have fallen victim to fraud.
The third principle calls for closer cooperation across borders, including the exchange of intelligence and the conduct of joint investigations. It also involves expediting the freezing of criminal assets, and pursuing the recovery and return of stolen funds to those affected by fraud.
