United Arab Emirates

Phishing constitutes a crime under the Cyber Crimes Law with penalties applied against the fraudster. Under Article 11 of the Cyber Crimes Law, the act of using a fraudulent method, taking a false name or impersonation through an electronic source to capture a movable asset, benefit, document or signature is a crime. Similarly, article 12 of the Cyber Crimes Law criminalises the act of unlawfully obtaining any means of electronic payment or related information via an electronic source. The fraudster can be imprisoned for at least one year and also fined up to 1 million dirhams. In addition to the Cyber Crimes law, the UAE E-commerce Law also imposes penalties for committing a crime by electronic means.