dubizzle has reported a 27 per cent year-on-year decline in scam reports across its platform during the first quarter of 2026, in figures that point to changes in how safety and trust are developing across the UAE’s digital classifieds sector.
The company said the figures reflect improvements within its own ecosystem but may also indicate wider changes across the market, as users place more importance on security, verification and platform accountability when choosing where to transact online.
With millions of users buying and selling through digital classifieds platforms, safety is becoming a central part of the marketplace experience and a factor in long-term user confidence, the company said in a statement.
Verified users rise as trust becomes central to online transactions
According to dubizzle, more than 660,000 users are now verified on the platform, reflecting increased demand for transparency in peer-to-peer transactions.
The company also reported a 17.3 per cent increase in verification applications during Q1 2026, indicating that users are becoming more willing to engage with tools designed to support accountability and safer transactions.
Additional data released by the platform showed that suspicious links declined by 33 per cent, while account-related issues dropped by 78 per cent. dubizzle added that most flagged activity is now addressed within 48 hours.
The company said the figures demonstrate how security systems are becoming more proactive and integrated into the user experience, allowing risks to be identified and addressed more quickly.
dubizzle introduces proactive safety measures across platform
dubizzle said the changes reflect a wider shift taking place across the UAE classifieds industry as digital platforms become a larger part of everyday commerce.
The company noted that features including in-platform chat, user verification and faster moderation are increasingly shaping what users expect from online marketplaces.
For the broader sector, dubizzle said safety infrastructure is becoming as important as scale and convenience, with scam reduction serving as a measure of how marketplaces are adapting to support secure and transparent transactions.
“Our focus is simple: to make trust easier to build across the entire user journey. Safety is no longer a background function operating silently within digital platforms, it is becoming embedded within the product experience itself. Today’s users are far more intentional about where they engage online. Credibility is no longer assumed; it is earned through every interaction. This shift extends beyond any single marketplace. It reflects a broader industry evolution, where trust is no longer a supporting feature, but a core component of how products are designed and experienced,” Muneeb Farrukh, Vice President of Product at dubizzle said in a statement.
dubizzle introduces faster moderation and verification
dubizzle said recent additions including QR code screening and real-time chat guidance reflect a move towards earlier intervention and contextual user protection.
The company said the tools are designed to reduce risks before they escalate and form part of wider efforts to strengthen trust within the platform.
As the UAE’s digital economy continues to expand, dubizzle said indicators such as scam reduction, verification growth and moderation speed may increasingly be used to measure marketplace health and accountability across the sector.
