Beware! Illegal crowd-funding in Saudi Arabia may land you in serious trouble

P A Hameed Padubidri
February 22, 2023

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You may come across social media messages requesting for the financial helps and other philanthropic gestures for the victims of recent Turkey - Syria earthquake that claimed thousands of human lives, injured hundreds of thousands and left millions homeless. 

In countries like Saudi Arabia, wherein government has launched official channel to help the quake victims, any such unauthorized messages (by the citizens or residents including NRIs) might land you in serious legal trouble as it goes outside the framework of the KSA's laws and rules.

People in their personal capacities are not allowed to engaging in raising funds publicly or secretly for such cause that crosses the parameter of the Saudi government. 

We can't deny the any possibility of the situation in Syria and Turkey is being misused by some people. Such funds or charities might also reach the wrong hands or into the accounts of extremist organisations. 

Commission of any such act by citizens or residents even in good faith or out of innocence will trigger serious legal consequences as per the provisions of the Saudi Arabian law. None is allowed to give and collect money in the KSA in an unauthorised manner. 

A simple advertisement through emails or messages on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, or fake websites with bank accounts etc showing the pictures of the victims might be used by the wrongdoers to grab the attention of the people and to swindle their money. 

Both fundraisers and donors will be held responsible for such unlawful act unless they prove of their blamelessness.  

The government of Saudi Arabia has agreed on more than 183 million riyals ($48.8 million) worth of projects to help Syria and Turkey after this month’s devastating earthquakes. 

The government also went an extra mile to involve both citizens and residents to donate for this cause through its App named ‘Sahem’. The ‘Sahem’ (or ‘contribute’ in English) online campaign launched by King Salman intends to raise public funds to help the rescue and relief work for the people in Syria and Turkey.

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News Network
September 18,2023

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Bengaluru, Sept 18: In an elaborate dating scam, a woman claiming to be a divorcee trapped a divorced man from Bengaluru and cheated him of Rs 1.05 crore.

CK Baba, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast), said the man, a HR professional at a private company, met the woman on a matrimonial site this year.

The woman, who goes by the name Prakathi Sreedharan on social media, is reportedly based in Kerala. She reached out to the man, aged between 35 and 40, on the matrimonial site after their profiles matched.

In the course of their chats, the woman told him she was divorced. The duo reportedly bonded over discussions on failed marriages and ongoing divorces and became close in three to four months.

Having gained the man’s confidence, the woman said she was investing in an online foreign exchange trading platform. She lured him into sharing his personal and financial details with her, promising big returns after describing how she had earned Rs 12 crore as returns on her investment.

Investing small amounts over time, the victim spent a total of Rs 1.05 crore on the trading platform. However, when he tried to contact her to recover his returns, she threatened him with serious repercussions, holding his personal information as leverage.

Without his knowledge, she had changed his pin and security information, logging him out of his bank account.

The man then lodged a complaint with the southeastern CEN police, who swiftly blocked the bank account and began the process of recovering the lost amount.

Cautioning people against falling victim to online fraud, Baba said, "Awareness is your shield against digital deceit. This is a reminder that trust should be earned and not bought at the cost of losing your hard-earned money."

Police advisory to those using dating/matrimonial platforms: 
1) Don’t share personal & financial information, address, or documents
2) Meet in public spaces a few times and verify their authenticity
3) Avoid intimate chats/calls through virtual platforms
4) Be wary of casual, quick declarations of love or personal details
5) Do not get into hasty investment decisions, especially online
6) Contact 1930 or 112 if you suspect fraud

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News Network
September 19,2023

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Bengaluru, Sep 19: Police arrested hardline hindutva activist Abhinava Halashree Swami, one of the main accused in the multi-crore cheating case wherein entrepreneur Govind Babu Poojary was duped after he was promised of BJP MLA ticket.

According to sources, Halashree was on board a running train in Odisha and CCB police arrested him with the help of Odisha state police. He will be brought to Bengaluru by night.

Swami was absconding after the arrest of young Hindtuva activist and rabble-rouser Chaithra Kundapura was taken into custody by the police. 

Abhinava Halashree hails from Vijayanagar district. He was reportedly trying to obtain interim bail from the court after Chaitra’s arrest. 

Earlier, Chaitra had made statements before the media while in custody that if Halashree Swami is arrested, the involvement of prominent personalities in the scam will emerge.

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News Network
September 9,2023

Bengaluru, Sept 9: The fresh announcement of alliance between BJP and JD(S) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections shows that the JD(S) has no ideology and it does anything for power, opined Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

"When I termed JD(S) as a 'B team' of the BJP, they used to be angry with me. H D Deve Gowda had said that there would be no alliance with any party at any cost. Now, G T Devegowda is saying that they are going for the alliance for the survival of their party. They have put 'secular' in their party's name and are joining hands with communalists. It shows that they have no ideology, and they do anything for power," he said.

In the wake of his admirers saying that Siddaramaiah can become the prime minister, he clarified that he would not enter national politics. "Anybody can become anything in democracy. They have just expressed their opinion. Narendra Modi directly became the Gujarat Chief Minister, and then the Prime Minister. But, I will not join national politics," he noted.

"I just speak on issues, and not just for the sake of criticising anybody or attacking Narendra Modi, Siddaramaiah said.

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