KD 60 Commission, KD 1,640 Loss: Kuwait Busts Banking Fraud Network

KUWAIT CITY, April 14: A Gulf national allegedly lured a citizen through suspicious banking links to carry out financial transactions in exchange for meager commissions. According to security sources, the Ministry of Interior is coordinating with its counterpart in a Gulf state to apprehend the suspect wanted for questioning, after he was implicated in a money laundering and bank fraud case, having drawn a citizen into the scheme in exchange for a small financial commission.

The coordination memorandum will also reveal the mechanism the suspect used to seize a large sum of money from a citizen’s account without obtaining her bank card PIN or any of her personal information, a case that has raised eyebrows. The sources expressed astonishment that the arrested citizen would be involved in a serious case potentially carrying a prison sentence of several years for a commission of no more than KD 60.

During investigations conducted by the Hawally Criminal Investigation Department, which is affiliated to the Criminal Security Sector, the citizen confessed to his involvement in the crime for this small sum. In the details of the case, which was registered at the Al-Shaab Police Station as a felony, a citizen filed a report stating that she was surprised to receive a text message informing her of a deduction of KD 1,640 from her account without her knowledge or consent.

This occurred through two withdrawals on March 28. The victim confirmed that she had not made any purchases, accessed any suspicious links, received any phone calls, or downloaded any applications. She emphasized that she was not accusing anyone in particular. After the case was registered, it was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department, which initiated its procedures to uncover the circumstances of the incident. The investigation revealed that the withdrawn amount had been transferred to a citizen’s account.

The citizen was summoned and appeared voluntarily. He stated that someone had contacted him from a number outside Kuwait, specifically from one of the Gulf countries, offering to send and receive banking links in exchange for a commission for each transaction. He said he had no further information about the details of the activity. The source confirmed that security efforts are continuing to apprehend the main suspect and uncover all aspects of the case.