'Criminal Court' sentences Egyptians to 7 years in fake website money fraud case

The Criminal Court, presided over by Advisor Al-Duwaikh Al-Duwaikh, with judges Badr Al-Shaheeb and Ibrahim Kharibat, and secretary Mohammed Malallah, sentenced two Egyptians to seven years in prison and fined each of them 5,520 dinars, while fining two companies 50,000 dinars. The court also ordered the confiscation of the funds and publication of the verdict in the Official Gazette, while acquitting one Kuwaiti national and one Egyptian.

The Public Prosecution had charged the defendants with misappropriating funds from users of fake websites impersonating telecommunications companies and government entities, and transferring the proceeds to Egypt through the two companies, cryptocurrency platforms, and electronic applications, in an effort to evade oversight and accountability.

Investigations by the Anti-Money Laundering Department revealed that an unidentified individual created fraudulent websites and promoted them through attractive advertisements on social media platforms to lure victims and steal their money via bank transactions, each under 25 dinars and not requiring a verification code.

Investigations showed that the misappropriations were carried out using payment links belonging to the two companies, before concealing the amounts and transferring them abroad. Some funds were returned to victims who filed complaints to dispel suspicions.

The investigations also uncovered the forgery of shipping invoices, price manipulation, and the use of fake addresses, in an attempt to lend a veneer of legality to these activities.