The pitfalls one finds when searching about Bahrain on social media!
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
One should tread social media with extreme caution. A well-known fact, isn’t it? What not is there in the digital world. Good and bad people, toxic traps, pitfalls, inflated and fake content, crime syndicates... You name it.
The fact, however, is that people never learn their lessons on social media, helping traps to come wearing new cos- tumes every now and then.
Don’t get it, still? Just log on to Twitter, and type Bahrain.
And get ready to bogged down in the deluge of massage advertisements slapped on your face.
Most of them pop up with explicit pictures of attractive girls and sometimes with enticing video messages.
Gullible minds are sure to fall flat.
Some examples that popped up in our search include: “Massage good girl service in Juffair Massage and sex in Bahrain,” reads a post by @Massage38064665.
“New girls available,” says another post by @Mas - sage94033675. “Escorts at home,” says a Twitter post by @Meer70128359.
Yet another post by @ PhuongT67905767 says, “Massage in Juffair Bahrain full service, Nice girls room VIP.” “Hi, boy Moon with you Massage at home Massage in Bahrain,” reads another message by @Hyhf12334.
And this goes on and on endlessly. If you dare to click any of the links and call the numbers, that is it? You are in for big trouble.
In one such incident reported from Dubai, a victim lured by a massage service advertisement and a fake photo of a Russian woman instantly contacted them. And the person on the other end gave him an address to find them.
Understandably, he went there. The scene changes now. He rings the doorbell. The door opens and hands pull him inside, only to find himself surrounded by six men. The gang attacked him brutally, forcing him to hand over his wallet, money and cards.
Reports say the man lost Dhs500 kept in the wallet and another Dhs40,000 from his credit card. In this occasion, the victim was brave enough to report the incident to the police, and the police managed to arrest the suspects.
This could happen anywhere, as the internet is now a world without borders. If not careful, such a thing could happen here too. In Dubai, police recently arrested several during raids conducted at illegal massage centres.
Raids were in Dubai and Sharjah emirates. “These are not just massage centres, but are playgrounds for hard-core criminals, waiting in disguise for their prey,” warns Dubai police.
“One could lose all his valuables and dignity, suffer physical abuse and attack,” police caution. Since victims usually fail to file to file complaints about fears of tainting their social status, criminals and crime go untouched.
“This also encourages gangs to continue their activities unabated, trapping more people,” Dubai police warns.
Dubai Police said they are also taking action against those who visit such places. In the past four months, police said they arrested hundreds of people. How does the massage trap work? One way is through commission agents.
If in Dubai, massage centres use commission agents to tuck in cards with phone numbers below the wipers of parked cars. Cards will have numbers, services offered, and facilities, with pictures of girls.
They will only disclose the location when someone dials the number. Such centres operating from flats, Dubai police say, are also connected to prostitution rings and function with a well-worked out plan. To avoid detection, they change flats frequently, police said.
These are all well-operated crime syndicates, where police have also recorded cases where they swept clean bank accounts after obtaining ATM card passwords. Though people are approaching legal centres, mostly they back out fearing consequences, police said.
Police also warn that such centres could blackmail visitors by taking pictures and attacking physically. So, be careful about what you are looking for and know what you are doing on social media.
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