KUWAIT CITY, June 22: With the arrival of the summer season and families heading to water parks, fraud and deception are on the rise as unscrupulous individuals exploit the season to lure their victims by posting ads selling discounted water park tickets and special offers. Scammers exploit online platforms to create websites called ‘water park’ or social media accounts that mimic official portals, promoting tickets at discounted prices.

Once the agreed-upon amount is paid, the person disappears. In other ways, victims receive fake tickets or their bank accounts are hacked after the payment is completed. Scammers make fake offers to families, such as ‘buy five tickets, get two free’ or reduced entry prices for families to these water parks. They also post pictures of these parks as WhatsApp backgrounds, using Kuwaiti numbers, most of which are operated outside Kuwait.

A citizen confirmed on his X account that he was scammed after booking tickets to a water park for his children for KD200. The citizen agreed with a person who posted a picture of the park on WhatsApp through social media ads to lure victims. He urged citizens and expatriates to book tickets through official channels to avoid being subjected to fraud. In a related context, a security source confirmed that the Cybercrime Department at the Interior Ministry continuously warns against dealing with fake websites and accounts with fake offers. He called on citizens and expatriates to use official channels for bookings and report any fraudulent activities to the department.