The Criminal Court presided over by Counselor Al-Dhuwaihi Mubarak Al-Dhuwaihi with Judges Badr Al-Shehab and Ibrahim Khuraibit issued the verdict against the two Egyptians according to details released by court monitors. Each defendant received an additional fine of KD 5,520 while the two companies whose accounts were used in the scheme were each fined KD 50,000. The ruling also mandates publication of the decision in the official gazette along with full confiscation of the seized assets and funds.
Court records show the pair participated in creating fictitious websites that impersonated official communications providers and government entities to lure victims with attractive advertisements on social media platforms. Payments were collected through bank details for transactions below KD 25 that bypassed verification codes with the funds routed via the two companies’ payment links. The operation involved coordination to refund portions of the money to complainants in an effort to demonstrate lack of direct involvement when reports were filed.
Investigators from the Anti-Money Laundering Department traced the scheme that accumulated KD 161,000 in stolen funds according to the court assessment. Forged shipping invoices with altered prices and fictitious addresses provided a veneer of legitimacy for the transfers. The convicted men will face deportation following completion of their prison sentences while a Kuwaiti national and another Egyptian were acquitted on all related charges.
The verdict forms part of a series of similar convictions issued by Kuwaiti courts in 2026 for digital fraud and money laundering activities as reported by multiple regional outlets including Times Kuwait and Gulf News. Central Bank of Kuwait oversight has focused on alternative remittance channels and cryptocurrency transfers that bypass traditional financial safeguards in such cases. Public warnings about verifying website authenticity before entering banking details have accompanied these enforcement actions.
Similar fraud networks have exploited small-value transactions that do not trigger additional security checks according to patterns identified in Kuwaiti criminal investigations this year. The case underscores cooperation between Kuwaiti authorities and Egyptian counterparts on cross-border financial crime according to details in related court reporting. Officials have stressed the need for heightened public vigilance as online commercial activity expands across the Gulf region.
