Dubai Police warn of AI-powered document forgery as fraud cases rise

Dubai Police have issued a public warning over the growing misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in forging official and unofficial documents, a practice increasingly being used to commit financial fraud and bypass the law.

The alert was issued by the Anti-Fraud Centre at the Dubai Police General Department of Criminal Investigation, urging institutions, companies and members of the public to remain vigilant and to carefully verify any documents received via email or social media.

As part of Dubai Police’s ongoing #BewareofFraud campaign, the Anti-Fraud Centre stressed the importance of digital awareness across all segments of society.

Fraudsters are exploiting rapid technological advances, including AI tools, to produce forged documents that may appear professionally written and well formatted at first glance.

Despite their polished appearance, many forged documents contain red flags that specialists can detect. These include inaccurate or inconsistent information, wording that differs from approved official templates, and the use of fake signatures or stamps.

Dubai Police advised the public not to rely solely on how documents look. Verification should include checking the source, reviewing digital file details such as creation and modification dates, and confirming the presence of official reference numbers that can be traced.

Dubai Police AI fraud

The Anti-Fraud Centre emphasised that using artificial intelligence for document forgery is a criminal offence punishable by law, highlighting that strong digital awareness remains the first line of defence against fraud.

Dubai Police called on anyone who suspects a fraud attempt to report it immediately through the Dubai Police smart app, by calling 901, or via the eCrime platform dedicated to reporting cybercrimes.

Dubai Police highlighted that UAE law imposes strict penalties on document forgery, whether official or unofficial.

Under Article 252 of Federal Decree Law No. 31 of 2021 on Crimes and Penalties, forging an official document is punishable by temporary imprisonment for up to 10 years, while forging an unofficial document is punishable by imprisonment.

Under Article 253, anyone who forges a copy of an official document and uses it, or knowingly uses a forged copy, faces temporary imprisonment for up to five years.

If the forged copy relates to an unofficial document, the penalty is imprisonment.

With regard to electronic documents, Article 14 of Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes states that anyone who forges an electronic document belonging to a federal or local government entity, or a public authority or institution, is punishable by temporary imprisonment and a fine ranging from AED150,000 to AED750,000 ($40,800 to $204,200).

If the forgery involves electronic documents issued by entities other than those specified above, the penalty is imprisonment and a fine ranging from AED100,000 to AED300,000 ($27,200 to $81,700), or either of these penalties.

The same penalties apply to anyone who knowingly uses a forged electronic document.