Dubai Police have arrested a group of individuals accused of posting false and damaging reviews on a company's Google Maps page in an effort to harm its reputation and cause financial losses. The arrests followed a formal complaint filed by the affected company's management.
Major Yasser Juma Mohammed, head of the Social Media Crimes Section at Dubai Police's e-Crimes and Cybersecurity Department, said investigations found that several commercial shops had coordinated in groups to post false and harmful comments targeting the company.
The case was disclosed during an episode of the Dubai Police Podcast titled "A Single Word Could Become a Case, Be Careful," hosted by Mohammed Ibrahim Al Hammadi. Major Yasser used the episode to stress that freedom of expression online has limits, and that deliberately posting false or harmful content can carry legal consequences for the person responsible.
The same episode touched on wider cybercrime issues beyond fake reviews, including the spread of rumours, unauthorised filming of others, and electronic fraud, all of which remain prosecutable offences under UAE law. Dubai Police reiterated its call for residents to think carefully about the legal consequences before posting content online.