Online Store Scam in Saudi Arabia: What to Do and How to Report

You ordered a phone for SAR 2,300 from a store that advertises heavily on Instagram. Two weeks passed with no shipment, and when you asked, you found you had been blocked. Or the store still replies, but delays delivery every time.

The direct answer: the difference between these two cases decides your route. If the store disappeared, blocked you, or it turns out it never meant to deliver, this is fraud: tell your bank immediately, then file a report claiming the amount. If it is a real store that is more than 15 days late from the contract date or the agreed date, you may cancel the contract and get back what you paid under Article 14 of the E-Commerce Law, and complain about it to the Ministry of Commerce.

Is it fraud or a commercial dispute?

Before any step, ask yourself: does the store really exist and deal with me, but it is late or sent a different product? Or did it take the money and disappear, or never really exist at all?

The first case is usually a commercial dispute or a breach of consumer rights, dealt with by a complaint to the authority that supervises commerce or by a civil claim. The second is the one the criminal system deals with as fraud.

For a commercial dispute, the E-Commerce Law gives you clear tools. If the store is more than fifteen days late in delivery from the contract date or the agreed date, you may cancel the contract and get back what you paid and the costs caused by the delay, unless the delay was due to force majeure (Article 14). You may also usually cancel the contract within seven days of receiving the product if you have not used it, with exceptions listed in Article 13. A store that breaks the law's rules may face a fine of up to SAR 1 million and suspension of its activity or blocking of its store (Article 18).

What does Saudi law say about online fraud?

Article 1 of the Anti-Fraud and Breach of Trust Law punishes anyone who takes someone else's money without right through any fraudulent method, including lying, deception or creating a false belief. A fake store is built on these elements: a page that makes you believe goods exist, pictures that are not its own, and a promise of delivery that will never happen. The penalty is up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 5 million, or one of them.

Because the act took place online, the Anti-Cyber Crime Law may also apply. Its Article 4 punishes anyone who takes movable property through fraud, using a false name or claiming a false capacity, with up to three years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 2 million, or one of them. Article 9 of the Anti-Fraud Law settles the overlap: the harsher penalty applies.

Anyone who lent his bank account to receive buyers' money may be held liable as an assistant, because Article 3 of the Anti-Fraud Law punishes anyone who incites, assists or agrees by up to the maximum penalty if the crime takes place as a result. If an organised group is behind the store, or its owner is a repeat offender, Article 5 sets the penalty between half of the maximum and double it.

What should you do if you are the buyer?

1. Screenshot the store's page and social media accounts immediately, with the link and the username, because these pages are deleted quickly.
2. Keep the payment receipt, the transaction number, the beneficiary's name and account number, and every message you exchanged with the seller.
3. Contact your bank or card issuer through the official channels, tell it the payment went to a fraudulent party, and ask about the options available.
4. File a report with the competent security authority, and attach what you collected in order.
5. If the store sells through an intermediary platform, report it to the platform as well so others do not fall for it.

If you paid by credit card, dispute the transaction straight away. The Saudi Central Bank's Financial Consumer Protection Principles and Rules require banks and credit card issuers to provide a free phone number, available around the clock, for reporting fraud and disputing credit card transactions (Special Rule 10). The outcome of a dispute depends on the facts of the transaction and how quickly you raise it; no text guarantees it in advance. A direct bank transfer to a person's account is not a card transaction, so the route there is a quick report to the bank followed by the official report.

Sara saw an ad for a famous perfume at half price on a social media account, and transferred SAR 450 to a personal account at the request of the account owner.

After the transfer he asked her for an extra amount “for express shipping”, and when she refused, he blocked her and closed the comments.

What Sara needs now: a screenshot of the ad and the account, the transfer receipt and the beneficiary account number, and the full chat; then she tells her bank and files the report.

Do not ignore a small amount. Fake stores live on small amounts from many victims, and many of them do not report because they think the loss is not worth the trouble. When reports gather on the same bank account or the same store, the picture becomes clearer to the competent authority.

What if you are the seller?

Online sales fraud does not only target buyers. A common case: a buyer sends you a picture of a transfer receipt that looks real, you hand over the goods, and then you discover the money never arrived. Goods are money, and making you believe in a transfer that did not happen is a fraudulent method, so the act falls within Article 1 of the Anti-Fraud Law, and other provisions may also apply depending on how the fake receipt was made.

The practical rule here is simple: do not hand over the goods until you see the money in your own account, not in a picture the other party sends you. If it happens, keep the picture of the receipt, the buyer's number and the place and time of delivery, and file your report in the same way.

Even if you noticed at the last moment and handed over nothing, the attempt itself is punishable. Article 4 of the Anti-Fraud Law punishes an attempt by up to half of the maximum penalty for the completed crime.

How can you reduce the risk before buying?

• Look for clear store details: a trade name, a way of contact other than chat only, and a written return policy.
• Be suspicious of a price far below the market price, and of new accounts offering popular products in large quantities.
• Prefer payment methods that let you dispute through the bank over a direct transfer to a person's account.
• In sales between individuals, inspecting the item and handing it over in person in a public place is safer than paying a deposit.

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 both sides

If you are the buyer who lost money:

• If the store is real, ask for a refund in writing and mention Article 14 if the delay is more than 15 days.
• If you paid by card, dispute the transaction through your bank as soon as possible.
• File a complaint with the Ministry of Commerce if the store is real and keeps delaying, and a criminal report if it is fake or has disappeared.
• Save the store's page, the chats and the receipts before they are deleted.

If you own a store and are accused of fraud:

• Document shipping and delivery with tracking numbers and the recipient's signature.
• Tell the customer in writing about any expected delay, as Article 14 requires.
• Deal with the complaint quickly and refund the amount if the mistake is yours; a commercial dispute that is resolved does not turn into a report.
• Before purchase, give the customer your details, the total price, and the payment, delivery and warranty arrangements, as Article 7 requires.

Whether it is a commercial dispute or fraud changes where you should go. Send us on WhatsApp a picture of the order, the chat and the payment receipt, and we will tell you the most suitable route.