Kuwait Scam: One App Approval Wipes Out Bank Balance

One tap on his phone was all it took to leave a Kuwait resident with just 900 fils in his bank account.

It started as an ordinary Tuesday morning phone call. It ended with his savings gone, his password changed, and a lesson every resident in Kuwait should take seriously.

The resident, a Lebanese man living and working in Kuwait, had been arranging a visit visa for his parents. That’s exactly the detail the scammer seemed to already know, and it’s what made the call feel real.

How the scam unfolded

The caller phoned the resident last Tuesday morning and said there was a problem with the visit visa application for his parents. The caller already knew his occupation and asked directly whether he was arranging a visit for them. When the resident confirmed this, the caller said the application had been turned down because of outdated fingerprint records.

Then came the so-called fix. The caller told him an authentication request would be sent through the “My Identity” app so an appointment could be booked to update his fingerprints. Because the request appeared linked to a genuine government process, the resident approved it without hesitation.

That one approval was enough. Within minutes he started getting messages showing 25 dinars had left his account. When he tried to log in to check what was happening, he found his password had already been changed.

Once he managed to get back into his account, only 900 fils remained. He contacted his bank straight away. The bank confirmed he had been the victim of fraud.

Why this one worked

What stayed with the resident afterwards, he said, was how much the caller already knew. The scammer was aware of his job and the fact that his parents were applying for a visit visa, details that are not public information. That knowledge made the whole story sound credible, and it’s exactly why he let his guard down.

This case shows scammers aren’t only relying on dodgy links anymore. A well-timed phone call built around personal details and a believable official process can be just as damaging, sometimes more, because it doesn’t trigger the usual red flags people are trained to spot. Kuwait residents have seen similar tricks before, including a one-dinar link that emptied an entire account and a phone ad scam that cost a shopper 200 dinars.

What this means if you’re in Kuwait

If you’re an expat arranging documents for family, or a citizen dealing with any government-linked app, this story is worth remembering. Visa and residency procedures already involve enough genuine back-and-forth that a scam call can slot right in without raising suspicion.

Expats sponsoring visit visas for parents, something covered under Kuwait’s salary rules for family visit visas, are a natural target for this kind of call, since the process already involves fees, paperwork and waiting on approvals. Anyone currently mid-process for a parent or relative’s visa should be extra cautious about unexpected calls referencing it.

No legitimate government body asks you to approve an authentication request from a cold call. If anyone phones claiming a problem with your visa, fingerprints, or residency file, hang up and check directly with the relevant authority, such as the Ministry of Interior or your bank, using numbers you already have or find on their official website.