Saudi blocks 'fraudulent' social media accounts

The Saudi Ministry of Commerce yesterday blocked 40 accounts on social media for deceiving consumers by impersonating brands.

“In cooperation with social media companies, and after extensive monitoring, we have closed 40 accounts on social media that impersonated a brand of a popular store selling phones, and deceived consumers,” the ministry said on Twitter, adding that the investigations had found a “large number of accounts on a social media platforms impersonating popular brands specialising in selling mobile phones and accessories.”

The ministry warned local consumers against “buying from anonymous pages and accounts on social media,” calling on them to use online stores to ensure their purchases are safe and to “preserve the rights of buyers.”

“The Ministry of Commerce continuously monitors e-commerce websites, social media accounts and electronic platforms, looks into violations, and issues fines worth up to one million riyals [$266,200],” the statement said.

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