Dubai Police warn influencers over craze of leaving wallets and phones unattended

Senior officer says viral video stunts showing personal items left in public to demonstrate emirate’s safety were inviting trouble

Mobiles are among valuables sometimes left in public places such as malls by social media influencers. PA

A Dubai Police chief has issued a warning to social media influencers who are trying to get "likes" by leaving valuables unattended to showcase the emirate's low levels of crime.

Some accounts on TikTok and Instagram have posted videos where a phone or wallet is left alone, or a car or front door is left unlocked, all to prove the emirate's reputation for high levels of safety.

However, Maj Gen Jamal Al Jallaf, director of the force's criminal investigation department, advised against leaving personal items on show in public places such as beaches and shopping centres or leaving homes and cars unsecured, saying these acts were 'neglecting safety'.

Sending out wrong message

"They [social media users] have been finding creative ways to see whether Dubai really is safest city in the world,” he told The National on the sidelines of a recent press conference.

“We saw many videos of people leaving their phones or cars for some time and then return to find them untouched. It’s a spreading culture on social media.”

Maj Gen Al Jallaf spoke out over the dangers of digital content creators instilling a false sense of security among their followers, and although he was proud of Dubai's relatively low levels of crime, he was keen for people not to invite trouble by failing to take commonsense precautions.

“We are proud of the reputation of Dubai as the safest city in the world, but content creators making such online videos are neglecting safety," he said.

He said other videos showed people leaving front doors unlocked when leaving their apartments.

One influencer, going by the username Comp Random, posted a video on TikTok which has been viewed more than 1.2 million times to date.

He is shown in the recording purportedly leaving a GoPro camera, an iPhone and his wallet on a bench at Kite Beach for more than an hour, saying he was “absolutely sure" they wouldn't be stolen.

He said he was inspired by a story he heard about a person who left a $60,000 handbag on a table to reserve it. “Where else can you do that?” he quipped.

He is shown returning to the area to find his possessions untouched.

“Dubai is the best city in the world," he said. "I don't know other cities in the world you can do this in.”

Last year, Baymammet Sarybekov, 32, from Turkmenistan, decided to show how safe Dubai was by leaving his phone and wallet unattended in public places.

The social media personality — known as BaymaBay on TikTok ― said he had lived in several cities across the world but never felt as safe as he does in the emirate.

“The safety in Dubai is unbelievable. People forgot their wallets, phones and valuables in public places but it is safe and untouched,” said Mr Sarybekov in a previous interview with The National.

The UAE was ranked in the top five countries for feeling safe when walking alone at night in Gallup's Global Law and Order reports in 2021 and last year.

Travel insurance website InsureMyTrip in February last year named Dubai as one of the safest cities in the world for solo female travellers.

"Dubai has a very low crime rate and is considered a safe place to travel as a woman, with the majority of public transport in Dubai offering a ‘women’s only section'," the report stated.