Dubai Police have flagged a surge in scam activity targeting UAE residents during the ongoing regional conflict, with criminals impersonating staff from a fictitious “Dubai Crisis Management” department and falsely presenting themselves as affiliated with the force. The schemes are designed to extract UAE Pass credentials and Emirates ID details, which authorities warn can be weaponised to execute SIM swap operations and infiltrate mobile banking accounts.
Dubai Police have stated unequivocally that they do not solicit confidential information or verification codes through phone calls or text messages under any circumstances. Residents are directed to report suspicious contact via the 901 hotline or through the eCrime platform.
The fraud alerts come as the UAE continues managing the fallout from Iranian missile and drone attacks that began on February 28, triggered by a joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran. President Donald Trump confirmed the strikes, describing them as “major combat operations” and calling for regime change. Iranian forces retaliated broadly across the Gulf, with the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain all affected.
By the second day of the assault, UAE air defence forces had tracked 165 ballistic missiles launched from Iranian territory, destroying 152 and driving 13 into the sea. Two cruise missiles were also identified and eliminated. Of 541 Iranian drones detected, 506 were intercepted and destroyed, though 35 reached the ground and caused material damage to civilian property.
Three expatriate workers — nationals of Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh — lost their lives, while 58 people sustained minor injuries across a wide range of nationalities, among them Emiratis, Egyptians, Filipinos, Indians, and Afghans. Debris from intercepted projectiles was reported across several Abu Dhabi districts, including Saadiyat Island, Khalifa City, and Bani Yas.
The National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority confirmed the situation was under control and advised the public to stay away from any debris found on the ground. Flights across Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport, Al Maktoum International Airport, and Sharjah Airport were suspended, with carriers including flydubai, Air Arabia, Air India, and SpiceJet cancelling or rerouting services. Private sector employers were advised by the Ministry of Human Resources to shift to remote working arrangements through March 3.
Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President Dr. Anwar Gargash addressed Iran’s targeting of Gulf states directly, stating: “Your war is not with your neighbours.” He described Tehran’s actions as a strategic error that had deepened the country’s regional isolation at a particularly sensitive moment. Speaking separately on Sky News Arabia, Gargash acknowledged that Gulf states had spent months working to prevent the situation from reaching this point, while noting that the repeated failure to resolve the Iranian nuclear file had made some form of escalation increasingly likely.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the strikes as a violation of national sovereignty and international law, extended condolences to the families of those killed, and affirmed the country’s right to take whatever measures are necessary to protect its territory. The ministry simultaneously called on all parties to step back from further escalation and pursue negotiated solutions.
Gargash stressed that Iran had more to gain from Gulf cooperation than from confrontation, urging Tehran to engage with regional states rather than target them, and warned that the current trajectory would only entrench long-term mistrust between Iran and its neighbours.
