Dubai Police Said Influencers Are Leaving Valuables Unattended To Get Likes

Social media influencers aiming to highlight the low levels of crime in the emirate are leaving valuables unattended to garner social media likes have been warned by the chief of the Dubai Police.

These online posts try to capitalize on public safety in the UAE.

Some accounts on TikTok and Instagram have recorded films in which a phone or wallet are left alone, or a car or front door are left unlocked

Maj Gen Jamal Al Jallaf, head of the force’s criminal investigation division, cautioned against leaving unprotected homes and cars, as well as personal valuables on display in public locations like beaches and malls, as these actions are “neglecting safety.”

In Gallup’s Global Law and Order reports from 2021 and the previous year, the UAE was rated as one of the top five nations for feeling secure while out alone at night.

Dubai was ranked among the safest destinations in the world for female alone travellers by the travel insurance website InsureMyTrip in February of last year.

A content creator called Comp Random uploaded a video to TikTok, where it has received over 1.2 million views.

In the video, he said he was “absolutely sure” a GoPro camera, an iPhone, and his wallet wouldn’t be taken while they were left on a bench at Kite Beach for more than an hour.

He claimed that a story he had heard about a person who left a $60,000 purse on a table in order to reserve it had given him inspiration. He joked, “Where else can you do that?”

“Dubai is the best city in the world,” he declared.

Turkmenistan blogger Baymammet Sarybekov, 32, also wanted to demonstrate how safe Dubai was by leaving his wallet and phone unattended in public spaces.

The TikTok user, called BaymaBay, claimed to have lived in a number of places around the world but never felt as safe as he does in the emirate.