Beware of a fake UAE government email scam in the name of ICA

A very serious scam targeting residents in the UAE has been detected, using the official UAE government logo (the falcon) to deceive, as shown in the attached image. You receive a contact or email named ICA Department from the email icadepartment66@gmail.com saying: "Your UAE ID has expired" or "You have a fine that must be paid immediately" or "You must update your data." How do you know it is 100% fake? 1. The email is Gmail: This is the biggest red flag. No official UAE government entity would use Gmail. The official email for the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship ends only with @ica.gov.ae, not @gmail.com. 2. The number 66 in the email: Scammers add random numbers like 66 to make it look like an internal department, which is not how government entities operate. 3. Request for payment via a link: They send you a fake payment link like ica-payment-update.com or similar, asking for your bank card details. The government only directs you to their official app UAEICP. 4. Pressure and urgency: They say "Pay within 24 hours or your residence will be canceled" to make you act without thinking. How to stay safe? • Do not reply to the email or click any link in it. • Do not pay anything from any link sent to you via email or SMS. • To check your ID status, log in yourself to the official UAEICP app or the ica.gov.ae website and do not use any link sent to you. • In Truecaller, open the contact details; if it is not verified with a blue checkmark and uses a Gmail email, immediately "block and report as spam" as shown in the image.