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Wednesday, May 14, 2025
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Expat Scammed in Online Phone Sale, Robbed of Phone and Wallet

publish time

14/05/2025

publish time

14/05/2025

Expat Scammed in Online Phone Sale, Robbed of Phone and Wallet

KUWAIT CITY, May 13:  The Criminal Security Sector has successfully closed a theft case with the arrest of a young Gulf national, who was positively identified by the victim during a legal line-up.

According to security sources, the victim, an expatriate born in 1982, filed a report at the Hawally Police Station stating that he had recently received an iPhone through a telecom company contract. After deciding he no longer needed the device, he listed it for sale on social media. “Two days later, a man contacted me expressing interest in buying the phone. We agreed on a price, and I sent him my home location,” the victim reported. “He came to the basement of my building, asked to inspect the phone and see my civil ID, and then suddenly disappeared with both my smartphone and wallet.” The victim noted that the stolen wallet contained KD 1,860.

Following the report, detectives traced the phone number used by the suspect and set up a sting operation. The suspect, a Gulf national, was arrested outside his residence in Jahra Governorate. Confronted with evidence, including surveillance footage of the incident, he confessed to the crime. He claimed to have resold the stolen iPhone to a store in the Capital Governorate and admitted to spending the stolen cash.