Scams in Egypt, Common Tricks and How Not to Fall for Them

The main rule, no money in advance to strangers

Almost every scheme ends the same way: you are asked to send money before you receive the item, the keys or the service. A transfer to a card, via InstaPay or an e-wallet goes through instantly, and getting the money back later is almost impossible.

The second common sign is pressure. «Today only», «there is another buyer», «pay now or the parcel will be sent back». If someone is rushing you, stop and check. The third sign is a price or an income far better than anyone else offers.

Prepayment for goods and fake rentals

On classifieds sites and in chats people sell things that do not exist at low prices: electronics, furniture, tickets. The seller asks for a prepayment for a «reservation» or delivery and disappears. Buy in person, when the item is in your hands, and do not pay a stranger from another city for delivery.

If you are the seller, beware of a «buyer» who does not want to meet and sends a link so that you can «receive the payment» or «arrange delivery». Such a page asks for your card details and an SMS code, and then money is taken from your own account. To receive money, you never need to enter a CVV or any codes.

Housing works the same way: photos of a flat that is not theirs, a price below the market and a request to transfer a deposit before the viewing. See the flat yourself or by video call and pay when you get the keys. What to check before paying is covered in how to rent a flat in Cairo.

Fake and blocked phones

A copy, a refurbished device or a phone still locked to the account of another person can be sold as a new iPhone or Samsung. There is also a risk specific to Egypt: a phone brought into the country without IMEI registration can stop working with local SIM cards.

Check the phone when you meet, insert your own SIM card and do not pay for delivery in advance. A detailed checklist is in how to buy a phone in Egypt.

Money exchange from private people

In chats people offer to exchange dollars or roubles «at a great rate»: you transfer the money, and the pounds are supposedly brought to you. Sometimes nothing arrives, or you get counterfeit notes. Another scheme is when you are asked to receive money from strangers on your card and pass it on. This way you risk becoming part of money laundering.

Besides, exchanging currency outside banks and licensed exchange offices is prohibited by law in Egypt. Change money at a bank or an exchange office and take a receipt, more in money in Egypt.

Fake jobs and easy money

Students and newcomers looking for part-time work should be especially careful. An honest employer does not take money for hiring you.

• «A job in a hotel or in tourism, but first pay for the visa, the permit or the training». After you pay, the employer disappears.
• «Earn money from likes, reviews or watching ads». At first you are paid a little, then you are asked to deposit money to «unlock a new level». The Egyptian Interior Ministry has exposed such platforms more than once, and people lost millions of pounds on them.
• «Just receive transfers to your card and send them on». This is not a job but taking part in a scheme run by others, and the card owner is the one who will answer for it.

Parcel «customs fees» and fake links

You get an SMS or a message: «Your parcel is on hold, pay the fee via the link». The link leads to a fake page that steals your card details. Egypt Post has warned that it does not ask for bank card details by phone, email or any other channel.

Another version: a new online «friend» writes that they have sent you an expensive gift and asks you to pay customs through a middleman. There is no gift, only a request for money. How parcels are really sent is explained in parcels from Egypt.

Hacked Telegram accounts and requests from «friends»

• Never share the login code from an SMS or from Telegram with anyone, even a «chat admin» or «support». The code is only for logging into your account.
• Turn on two-step verification (a cloud password) in the privacy settings of Telegram.
• If a friend suddenly asks for a loan or for a vote via a link, call them. Their account may have been hacked.
• Do not follow links to «giveaways», «payouts» or «account checks» from unknown channels and bots.

Where to report if you have been scammed

• Keep the evidence: chats, the listing, phone numbers, transfer receipts. Do not delete anything and do not keep arguing with the scammer.
• Call your bank or the support line of your e-wallet right away and ask them to block the transfer.
• Report it to the Egyptian Interior Ministry. The cybercrime hotline 108 works around the clock, and you can also go to the nearest police station. The police number is 122, the tourist police 126.
• If you do not speak Arabic, take along someone who can help explain the situation.
• Report the account in Telegram and the listing on the site where you found it.

How Tullab helps you trade more safely

On Tullab, listings are posted by people from your own community, and you can reach the author by phone or Telegram. But the rules are the same: meet in person, check the item and pay when you receive it.

If a listing looks suspicious, press «Report» on its page, complaints are reviewed within 24 hours. You can offer your own item or service by posting a free listing.