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Cybersecurity Firm Uncovers 2,400+ Fake Arabic Job Pages

The scam targeted internet users across 13 Middle East and North African countries.

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cybersecurity firm uncovers 2,400+ fake arabic job pages

Global cybersecurity leader Group-IB has revealed new research from its center in Dubai detailing a widespread fake job scam campaign targeting Arabic speakers in the MENA region.

Digital Risk Protection experts used AI and text analyzing tools to uncover over 2,400 fake job pages impersonating companies from 13 countries. The posts were created on social media platforms throughout the entirety of 2022.

On the job pages, fraudsters spoofed more than 40 of the MENA region’s largest companies. They published vacancies in Arabic offering salaries too good to be true, including “4,500 euros (USD $4,800) for drivers and painters”. Once interested victims interacted with links on the pages, they were taken to fake phishing sites where they were asked to enter login credentials and passwords.

Which Countries Were Targeted?

Arabic-speaking individuals were the exclusive targets of this particular scamming campaign, with Egyptian companies most frequently spoofed by the criminals.

headline data and timeline of mena job scam january 2022 – january 2023

According to Group-IB, “48% of all the fake profiles created on Facebook spoofed companies from Egypt. Organizations from Saudi Arabia (23% of all scam pages), Algeria (16%), Tunisia (7%), and Morocco (4%) were also frequently mimicked as well as offering individuals jobs at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar”.

What Industries Were Selected?

The scammers responsible for the fake job pages made adverts across multiple industries, though logistics firms were a popular target (64%). Group-IB noted that “scammers targeting MENA users are particularly fond of impersonating logistics enterprises due to the high potential ROI. The food and beverage (20% of scam pages) and petroleum (12%) industries were also heavily impersonated by the scammers, with one particular company being impersonated on more than 1,000 fake pages”.

Also Read: Is Your Phone Hacked? How To Find Out & Protect Yourself

Staying Safe Online

Group-IB warned internet users to stay vigilant and always confirm URLs when following links that supposedly lead to a company’s website — a particularly important habit on social media sites. Users should enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for all online accounts supporting the security feature and ensure they never use the same password across multiple accounts.

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LUVED Is A New Curated Preloved Marketplace For The UAE

Sellers keep 100 percent of every sale and AI can build a listing in five seconds — though the app’s smartest tools are still coming.

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luved is a new curated preloved marketplace for the uae

Secondhand shopping has become mainstream in the UAE, but the experience is still scattered across resale sites, social media and informal group chats. LUVED, a mobile-first marketplace that launched in Dubai this month, is betting it can pull that activity into one place — and that the thing buyers and sellers actually want is not more inventory, but trust.

The app trades in what it calls circular luxury: preloved fashion and lifestyle pieces across men’s, women’s and children’s categories, bought, sold or given away peer to peer. Its main pitch is economics, with sellers keeping 100 percent of every sale under a zero-commission, fast payout model, while buyers are promised vetted pieces at lower prices.

Where LUVED is staking its reputation is verification. Sellers pass a KYC check, and items run through a two-layer authentication system powered by Entrupy that pairs instant AI screening with human expert review for high-value pieces. Authenticity certificates travel with each item, payments sit in escrow, and a buyer-protection package the company calls The Safety Net adds a 48-hour return window and dispute resolution. Door-to-door logistics removes the in-person meetups that make most resale deals awkward.

An in-app assistant called Luvbot — offering selling insights and demand-based recommendations — is soon to be introduced to the platform. Other features include autofill and dynamic pricing that lets users build a listing in as little as five seconds from three photos, plus a swipe-based feed, story-style drops and in-app chat in English and Arabic. Finally, a gifting layer, Luved & Gifted, lets users pass items to others inside the app rather than sell them.

Also Read: Logitech’s New Folding Mouse Is Designed For Work On The Go

“After moving to Dubai, I saw how difficult it was to sell or even give things away,” says founder and CEO Shaima Sibtain. The friction is real, and so is the competition. In resale, trust is won transaction by transaction — and that is the test LUVED has set itself.

The app is live on the App Store now, with Google Play to follow. The company also plans to expand across the region, which will be the real test for a marketplace staking everything on trust.

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