Do you like to play Candy Crush, Fortnite Battle Royal, QuizUp, and other “free” games online? If yes, then you better be careful! While playing these games is a fun way to pass the time, you may be exposing yourself (and your personal information) to hackers and scammers.
To caution everyone against exposing themselves to fraudsters, the Dubai Police has issued an advisory on playing free online games, Gulf News reported. Learn more about their public announcement below:
Public Warned About Playing Online Games
Playing online games and answering quizzes are popular in the UAE and in other countries. In the US, for example, around two-thirds of all households are in the habit of playing games.
However, most online games — especially the “free” ones — usually require some personal information before you can play them. In most cases, this includes your social media profile, which contains your name, birthday, email address, and other details.
Once these applications have acquired your details, the information could be sold to third parties. Moreover, your personal data becomes more accessible to hackers, and before you know it — you become a victim of online scams or identity theft!
“Be Careful & Spread Awareness”
The Dubai Police affirmed that “free” online games have a tendency to collect and exploit users’ personal information. Hence, they recently issued an advisory through social media:
Most “Free” online games make profit through collecting and exploiting personal information thus violating your privacy, so be careful and spread awareness among your family members.#YourSecurityOurHappiness #SmartSecureTogether#DubaiPolice #DPAwareness pic.twitter.com/zh3DmVJPqw
— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) August 25, 2018
“Most free online games make profit through collecting and exploiting personal information, thus violating your privacy,” the advisory stated. “So be careful and spread awareness among your family members.”
The next time you feel like playing a game online — think again, as you may be exposing your personal information. In addition, be sure to follow social media rules in the UAE. Otherwise, you might get in trouble, like the man who got jailed for offering obscene services on Snapchat!
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