You paid SAR 6,000 to an Instagram account selling phones at a tempting price, and after the transfer it blocked you. The direct answer: file your report immediately at the competent police station. Criminal investigation officers must accept reports for all crimes, spoken or written, and then the Public Prosecution investigates fraud cases. Take the transfer receipt, the receiving account number and the full chats, and write in your complaint that you are claiming the amount back, because a complaint from the injured person counts as a claim for his private right unless he expressly waives it.
Who receives a fraud report in Saudi Arabia?
If you are a victim of fraud, you do not need a special authority or prior permission. Article 27 of the Law of Criminal Procedure requires criminal investigation officers, each within his competence, to accept the reports and complaints they receive for all crimes, examine them and collect information about them.
Article 26 lists the criminal investigation officers; they include members of the Public Prosecution and police directors and their assistants. So for most people the nearest route is the competent police station. The case then moves to the Public Prosecution, because the Anti-Fraud and Breach of Trust Law gives it the power to investigate and prosecute these cases (Article 10).
Can I report fraud through Absher or Kollona Amn?
Many people look for a way to report through Absher (the Interior Ministry's e-services platform) or the Kollona Amn (“We are all security”) app. These are technical channels that are not mentioned in the text of the law or its regulations, and the services they offer may change. Check with the operator of the service itself what type of report it accepts, and keep the report number you receive. If you do not find the right service, the route set by the law remains open: going to the criminal investigation officers.
Article 15 of the Implementing Regulations of the Law of Criminal Procedure provides that reports and complaints for all crimes are accepted orally or in writing, and that an officer without local jurisdiction records the report and refers it to the competent authority. So your report will not be refused because you filed it at another station. The reports register includes a summary of the report, its date and time, the name of the person who filed it, the name of the person who received it, and the action taken. You do not need a formal written letter, but organised papers make the work easier.
What should you prepare before you go?
- Your national ID or residence permit (iqama).
- Transfer receipts or a bank statement showing the amounts, their dates and the account number you transferred to.
- The full chats and messages, with screenshots showing the sender's number or account name and the date. Do not delete anything, even if it seems unimportant.
- Any contract, invoice or ad that misled you, and the link to the website or store, if any.
- A written timeline: when contact started, what you were promised, when you paid and when you discovered the fraud.
- The names of anyone who witnessed or knew about the deal.
The Anti-Fraud Law does not set a deadline after which your right to report is lost. But do not take this as a reason to delay. Transferred money moves quickly between accounts, and the later the report, the harder it is to trace and seize. If the transfers went through more than one bank, collect each bank's receipts separately.
Make your complaint a claim for your money too
This is a point many people miss. Article 29 of the Law of Criminal Procedure treats a complaint by a person harmed by the crime as a claim for his private right, unless he expressly tells the investigator that he gives it up. So write clearly in your complaint that you are claiming back the amount taken from you, state it as a number, and do not sign any sentence that means a waiver.
Article 17 concerns crimes involving a private right of individuals. It provides that no case is brought and no investigation is held in them except on a complaint from the victim, his representative or his heir, unless the Public Prosecution sees a public interest in bringing the case and investigating. Because recovering your money is your private right, make sure the complaint is in your own name, or in the name of a lawful agent acting for you.
How do you write a fraud complaint?
The law has no mandatory complaint form, but a clear complaint saves a lot of time. Focus on the facts that show the deception, because Article 1 of the Anti-Fraud Law is based on taking someone else's money through lying, deception or creating a false belief. If you only write that someone took your money and did not return it, the incident may look like an ordinary money dispute.
On [date], a person contacted me from number [ ], and offered to sell a device for SAR [ ].
He sent me pictures of a shipping receipt that later turned out to be false.
I transferred SAR [ ] to account number [ ], and then he closed his number and blocked me.
I ask that he be held accountable and that the full amount of SAR [ ] be returned to me.
What if you cannot go in person?
Articles 16 and 17 of the Law of Criminal Procedure mention the person representing the victim alongside him, and his heirs after him. So if you are travelling or ill, or the injured person has died, the person who legally represents him may file the complaint and the claim. Make sure the power of attorney covers filing complaints and claiming the private right.
What happens after you file the report?
The criminal investigation officers examine the report, collect the related information in a written record, register its summary and date, and inform the Public Prosecution, which then investigates. You may be called to give a statement or provide more documents, so keep your phone available and keep copies of everything you filed. Do not contact the fraudster after the report to threaten him or negotiate without advice, as this may affect the evidence.
If someone offers to recover your money in return for an upfront fee in the name of a government authority or a collection office, check carefully. This is a common fraud method aimed at people who have already been victims.
This is general information based on the official Arabic texts of Saudi laws, which prevail over any translation. It is not legal advice for your specific case.
Practical solutions for the person reporting and the person reported
If you are reporting fraud:
- Call your bank as soon as you discover the fraud and ask it to trace the transaction, then file the report without delay.
- Organise the report: who, when, how much and how, with the receiving account number.
- State the amount you claim as a number, and do not sign any sentence that means a waiver.
- Keep the report number and follow it up, and do not contact the fraudster afterwards.
If you are summoned because of a report against you:
- Attend on the date given; you have the right to know the charge and to have a lawyer.
- Prepare what shows the true nature of the dealing: contracts, deliveries and messages.
- Do not contact the person who reported you in a way that could be seen as pressure.
An organised report saves a lot of time and protects your right to recover the money. Send us the details of what happened and your documents on WhatsApp, and we will help you write the complaint.
Need advice on your own case?
Every case turns on its own facts and documents. Send us a short summary and we'll arrange a session with a licensed Saudi lawyer who will tell you clearly where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
Can I report fraud through Absher or Kollona Amn?
These are technical channels not regulated by the text of the law, and their services may change, so check what type of report they accept. The route fixed by law is going to the criminal investigation officers, such as the police, who must accept the report (Article 27).
Do I need to know the fraudster's name to report?
The law does not require it. The Regulations accept a report whether its source is known or unknown. You give the numbers, accounts and chats you have, and collecting information is the officers' job.
Will the report alone get my money back?
The report starts the criminal case, and the money is a private right. Your complaint as the injured person counts as a claim for your private right under Article 29 unless you expressly waive it, so state the amount in it.
I filed the report at the wrong police station. Will it be rejected?
No. Article 15 of the Regulations requires an officer without local jurisdiction to record the report and refer it to the competent authority.
General information, not legal advice. The official Arabic texts of Saudi laws prevail over any translation. Disclaimer