Conman Apologizes to Kuwaiti Woman After Instagram Scam

KUWAIT CITY: A Kuwaiti woman has reported a fraud case after transferring KD 25 through the Wamdh payment service to purchase coffee and sweets advertised on Instagram, only to receive a WhatsApp message apologizing for the scam and informing her that the account was fake.

According to a security source, the woman contacted an Instagram account to place an order for coffee and sweets. After agreeing on the order, she was given a phone number to which she transferred KD 25 through Wamdh.

The surprise came after the payment was completed, when she received a WhatsApp message from the person behind the phone number, who was reportedly outside Kuwait. The sender apologized and told her that the Instagram account from which she had placed the order was fake, despite having already received the payment.

Realizing that she had been defrauded, the woman went to Fahaheel Police Station and submitted the details of the account and phone number used in the transaction, along with the payment information and exchanged messages documenting the incident.

A fraud and deception case was registered and referred to the competent authorities for investigation and efforts to identify the person behind the account and phone number.

The incident highlights the risk of transferring money to unverified social media sellers before confirming their identity and the legitimacy of their business.