AI Forged Documents: Dubai Police Call For Vigilance And Verification

Dubai Police are warning that artificial intelligence is being misused to forge documents and support financial fraud, with criminals using advanced tools to bypass legal checks. The force is urging companies, institutions, and the wider public in the UAE to treat any digital document with caution and verify its authenticity before acting.

The alert comes from the Anti-Fraud Centre at the General Department of Criminal Investigation, which is leading Dubai Police’s ongoing #BewareofFraud awareness drive. The unit reports that forged electronic and paper documents are increasingly shared through email and social media, targeting both individuals and businesses with fake contracts, certificates, invoices, and authorisations.

According to the Anti-Fraud Centre, fraudsters are taking advantage of artificial intelligence tools that can generate text, design layouts, and imitate official styles. These technologies allow forged documents to look highly professional, with correct logos and formatting, which can make them appear legitimate at first glance to non-specialists and busy staff handling large volumes of paperwork.

Dubai Police advise that visual quality alone is not a safe test for authenticity, even when documents appear well written and accurate. Recipients are urged to confirm the sender’s identity, review technical file data such as creation and modification dates, and check that reference numbers, contact details, and digital stamps match records held by the issuing authority.

The Anti-Fraud Centre stresses that using artificial intelligence to forge official or unofficial documents is a criminal offence under UAE law. Investigators highlight that awareness among residents and corporate teams is the first defence, as early suspicion and reporting allow Dubai Police to track fraud networks and limit financial losses across the market.

Dubai Police underline that Federal Decree Law No. 31 of 2021 on Crimes and Penalties sets out strict sanctions for document forgery. Article 252 states that forging an official document can result in temporary imprisonment for up to 10 years. Forging an unofficial document is also punishable by imprisonment, reflecting the seriousness of altered records in any form.

Article 253 of the same law addresses forged copies. It provides that anyone who forges a copy of an official document and uses it, or knowingly uses a forged copy, faces temporary imprisonment for up to 5 years. Where the copy concerns an unofficial document, the penalty remains imprisonment, signalling no tolerance for manipulated paperwork.

Electronic records are covered separately under Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes. Article 14 states that anyone who forges an electronic document belonging to a federal or local government entity, or a public authority or institution, is subject to temporary imprisonment and a fine between AED150,000 and AED750,000.

If forgery affects electronic documents issued by private companies or other bodies, the same article sets a penalty of imprisonment and a fine from AED100,000 to AED300,000, or one of these penalties. The law also makes clear that anyone who knowingly uses a forged electronic document faces identical sanctions.

Dubai Police urge anyone who suspects document forgery or financial fraud to report the matter immediately through the Dubai Police smart app, by calling 901, or via the dedicated eCrime platform for cybercrimes. Officials stress that swift reporting, combined with stronger digital skills among residents and businesses, will limit the misuse of artificial intelligence in document forgery.

With inputs from WAM