KUWAIT CITY, Sept 18: Several citizens and expatriates have fallen victim to scammers who promote products online at a quarter of the market price to steal from bank accounts, reports Al-Anba daily quoting a security source. The source warned the public about scammers who steal from citizens and expatriates by offering food and consumer products at a quarter of the market price, as well as demanding a down payment of as low as 500 fils. He clarified this is a fraudulent operation, through which the scammers lure people into giving full banking information that they use to steal from bank accounts.

Deceived
The source confirmed many citizens and expatriates have filed cases, indicating they were deceived through the promotion of food and consumer products on social media. He disclosed the consumers are lured into purchasing items through an application. If the customer indicates he wants to pay in cash; the scammers will ask him for at least 500 fils down payment, which he pays through a link sent to him or by entering the application, the source explained. Earlier, the Cybercrime Department suspended 662 WhatsApp accounts under Kuwaiti telephone numbers; and explained a way to differentiate a fake link from a real link. It continues to monitor fake websites to block them, stressing it is keen on taking the necessary legal measures to combat illegal activities and protect the public from fraudulent operations.

In addition, the Public Relations and Security Media General Department has emphasized the need to deal only with trusted websites and entities, as well as to verify any website before authenticating the transaction through the ‘My Identity’ application or making purchases to protect one’s money and personal information and avoid falling victim to scams. It warned against clicking fake links from search engines or advertisements on social media sites, particularly ‘WIX.com’ sites as they are unreliable. It also underscored the need to check the domain name of the website in the link to prevent hacking or online theft.