How to Report Cyber Crimes in Qatar? What are the Penalties for Perpetrators?

How to Report Cyber Crimes in Qatar? What are the Penalties for Perpetrators?

With the age of technology and the spread of modern communication mechanisms, new forms of crime have emerged, including the electronic crimes, which the perpetrators sought to inflict, damage, others, across multiple media (phone, email, etc.), which calls for everyone taking the necessary security precautions in the use of online media and communication, to protect themselves, and to ward off the objectives of the perpetrators of these crimes, and in this context, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) offer the following:

Cybercrimes

In line with enormous development of technology, electronic crimes have spread in our daily lives, whereas the criminals use several ways and means, which makes all members of the society, citizens and expatriates to take the necessary precautions so as not located any individual victim of the perpetrators of cybercrime.

Keeping up with the spread of these crimes, the Qatari authority has stipulated new laws that combat cybercrime, including all anti-cyber-crime aspects, also singled out many substances that punish the perpetrators.

The Ministry recommends to be careful in electronic uses securing private information and protect against hacking, viruses, and attacks on credit cards. Do not respond to any e-mails asking information about the account or passwords. MoI also advised to ensure safe sites if you want to buy any product, or when you download applications on computers or smart phones, in order to avoid electronic theft.

The Ministry also appeals to families and parents observe and educate their children during their use of computers and smart devices, because they are the targeted group as well as alert them to be vigilant while engaging in social media.

In case of exposing to any type of cyber crimes, you can contact the Cybercrime Combating Centre on 2347444 or the hotline number 66815757 or email to cccc@moi.gov.qa.

Cyber-blackmail

The cyber-blackmail is a big security threat for internet users. Hackers and cyber-criminals are thriving with fake profiles and Ids to make friendship by means of e-communication through which they catch our personal stuffs like photos, videos or other information. Exploiting these things which are usually related to the secrets of private life they will raise threat to surrender their.

Chat rooms, mobile phones, blogs and email are to be tackled carefully to escape from the clutches of cyber-criminals. Blackmailing has various intentions like threats, harassment, hacking accounts, stealing and sharing confidential and sensitive information and emotional manipulation.

For your safety you should avoid uploading private information, photos and videos online, and opening suspicious messages and emails and should ensure our privacy settings are secure on social networking websites and never share your password.

Children should be monitored and made aware of the dangers hidden behind internet use whereas the teenagers are highly targeted by e-criminals and are victimized largely for cyber-blackmail. Educate them to not use their real photos as profile pictures on social networking sites, to make complex passwords and change their passwords regularly and ask about their activities online, who they talk to and what they talk about.

MoI calls on the public to report such offenses and blackmail reports by telephone to (2347444) or hot-line (66815757) or email to cccc@moi.gov.qa.

Tips and guidelines for e-mail protection

• Change your email password periodically, preferably consist of letters, numbers and symbols, to make the access difficult by hackers.
• Don’t download or open any unknown attachment because it might contain viruses or spy software unless it is from a trusted source. Ensure it is free from viruses where there are a number of websites providing scanning the attachments by programs that are downloaded to your computer.
• Never use piracy software in any way, since most of those programs contain viruses and spyware.
• Avoid posting personal information on your computer or email to avoid others accessing to it in your computer if exposed to hacking and using them in your personal goals.
• Don’t share passwords of email and social media accounts with anyone.
• Use different e-mail addresses for registration in different accounts, to avoid access to other accounts in the case of email theft.
• Don’t disclose personal information to anyone unreliable on internet, such as passport or personal ID number or date of birth, phone number, where the websites don't need these data unless recognized sites require these.
• Activate verification tool in access to email, which lets you put your mobile phone number and alternative email for security options and retrieve your password. Most of the recent email saving companies have enabled this facility on their security options, so that they do not modify any data in the security options of your account without entering the confirmation code sent to your mobile phone.

What are the penalties for committing a cyber crime in Qatar?

• Article 8 of Law on Combating Cyber Crimes (Law No 14 of 2014) stipulates that a sentence of not more than three years in prison and a fine of not more than QR100,000, or either of these penalties, shall be imposed on any person who, through an information network or information technology technique:

• violates social values or principles

• publishes news, photos or video or audio recordings related to the sanctity of people’s private or family life (even if the same is true, or insults or slanders others).