KUWAIT CITY, April 13: An elderly Kuwaiti citizen lost his entire bank balance of KD 37,000 (approx. $120,000) after falling victim to a phone scam carried out by an unidentified fraudster or members of a criminal network. The scammer, posing as a detective, falsely claimed that hackers were attempting to access the man's bank account and convinced him that urgent action was needed to prevent the theft.

Under this pretense, the 69-year-old victim, a resident of the Capital Governorate, was deceived into revealing sensitive bank details—including his card number, PIN, and a One-Time Password (OTP) sent to his mobile phone. These details were then used by the fraudster to completely drain the account. The exact method—whether by direct transfer or online purchase—remains under investigation.

According to a source familiar with the case, the scam began with a call from a local Kuwaiti number. The caller, pretending to be a detective, warned the victim of an imminent cyberattack and demanded banking details, falsely claiming it was to protect the funds. Shortly after sharing his information, the victim received a notification stating his account balance was reduced to KD 4.

The victim promptly reported the incident to the Public Prosecutor, who has since ordered an official investigation. A security source reiterated that local banks and Ministry of Interior officials never request personal or banking information over the phone and warned the public not to respond to such calls—whether through regular phone lines or messaging apps like WhatsApp.