Lebanon
Fraudster who deceived victims with European visas and stole thousands of dollars arrested
The Internal Security Forces Directorate General - Public Relations Division issued the following statement: Based on the指示 of the competent judiciary, the Internal Security Forces Directorate General is circulating the photo of the detainee: H. B. M. (born in 1979, Lebanese), who has a criminal record for fraud and forgery.
Issued by the Internal Security Forces Directorate General - Public Relations Division, the following statement:
Based on the指示 of the competent judiciary, the Internal Security Forces Directorate General is circulating the photo of the detainee: H. B. M. (born in 1979, Lebanese), who has a criminal record for fraud and forgery.
He was arrested for the crime of fraud and deception via social media, after using a page on the "Facebook" site and a foreign phone number, to deceive his victims, most of whom are of Syrian nationality, by claiming he could secure entry visas for them to European countries, in exchange for sums of money.
To gain their trust, he would stipulate, during his communication with his victims, the presence of a "guarantor person" during the meeting that takes place inside his car, after agreeing on the amount of money to be paid. Then, in a fraudulent manner and with sleight of hand, he would replace the sum of money he had received from the victim with another similar in size, but of much less value, consisting of low-value currencies. After that, he would put this amount inside an envelope, seal it, and sign it, before handing it over to the victim and the guarantor, under the pretext of keeping it until the fake "visa" is issued, in order to reassure them and make them believe in the seriousness of the procedures, then he would disappear from sight.
As a result of follow-up, it turned out that the detainee carried out multiple fraud operations, the latest of which was stealing an amount of /21,000/ US dollars from one of his victims.
Therefore, this Directorate General requests those who have fallen victim to his actions and recognize him, to contact the Information Division at number 1788 in preparation for taking the necessary legal measures.
This Directorate General warns against falling victim to similar fraudulent operations, and calls on those wishing to obtain visas for travel abroad, to resort exclusively to the relevant embassies. It also asks them to verify the authenticity of advertisements related to this matter on all social networks, by checking the website of the relevant embassy before taking any action, to avoid falling victim to fraud and deception networks.
