KUWAIT CITY, Aug 26: Scammers use various fraudulent methods and schemes to deceive people. These tactics often include phishing emails, fake investment offers, lottery scams, and impersonation frauds, where they pose as legitimate businesses, officials, or friends to gain trust. Common methods involve sending fake links, creating fraudulent offers, or using other techniques. As scams become more sophisticated, staying alert and cautious is crucial.

In one such incident, a Pakistani family fell victim to a scam, but fortunately for the family all that was lost was 100 dinars. One young member of the family, who identified himself as M.G. visited the Arab Times office to narrate what happened to him a few days ago. The young man said the family was searching for an apartment online when he came across a TikTok video purportedly uploaded by a real estate agent who had a significant following and regularly posted videos. He messaged the agent, expressing interest in finding an apartment, and singled out one apartment that his family liked, and the agent told him the apartment he had chosen had been sold out and offered another one, which according to the agent was better and much cheaper but in a different area.

The family decided to visit the said apartment in Ishbilya and, after looking around, found it to their liking since the rent (according to the agent) was only 180 dinars. The family messaged the agent to confirm their interest and the agent demanded 100 dinars down payment, sent the copy of his Civil ID -- to gain the family’s trust -- and the link to pay the money. Although the family had concerns about the possibility of being scammed, MG reasoned that since the family had seen the apartment in person and the agent had shared the PACI number, it was unlikely to be fraudulent. He proceeded to pay the 100 dinars down payment through the link.

The agent fixed the appointment the next day to pay the rest of the money and meet the landlord in person -- which was never going to happen. Nonetheless, the next day the family contacted the agent before going to Ishbiliya, and the latter claimed the landlord was not available at the moment and insisted the rest of the money also should be paid via the link before finalizing the deal. Instead of complying with his demand, MG and his family decided to meet the landlord. When they arrived at the apartment, the landlord was shocked to listen to their side of the story and denied having any agent to take care of his property. He suggested the family should go to the police station.

When MG confronted the agent and demanded a refund he did not hear from the latter anymore – he was blocked. It turned out that the agent was part of a larger operation that targets vacant apartments, takes videos and photos of the PACI numbers, and uses them to deceive people. When the family later reported the scam to the police, they were shocked to learn three other families had filed similar complaints. When MG showed the police the Civil ID copy of the agent, it turned out to be fake. MG has shared with the Arab Times screenshots of the messages, voice notes, and even a photo of the payment link.

By P.F.X. Fernandes
Arab Times/Al-Seyassah Staff