Lebanon Scams: Online, Financial & Investment Fraud Guide
Common scams in Lebanon and how to report them to the ISF Cybercrime Bureau and your bank.
Emergency number: 112 (emergency), 01/293293 (cybercrime bureau) — verify on official sources.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Lebanon's prolonged economic crisis has reshaped its fraud landscape around cash and currency. With confidence in banks broken and deposits informally split between 'fresh' dollars and trapped 'lollar' balances, scams cluster where the money actually moves: street and WhatsApp currency dealers who vanish with one side of an exchange, fake 'fresh dollar' sellers passing counterfeit notes, bogus intermediaries claiming they can unlock or transfer frozen deposits for a fee, and fraudulent middlemen around the OMT and Whish money-transfer counters that many families now use instead of bank accounts.
The crisis also supercharged emigration and income scams. Fake visa and asylum 'facilitators' charge families for European appointments and sponsorships that never come; fake job offers abroad demand 'processing' fees; and investment fraud — crypto platforms, forex 'account managers', Ponzi schemes promising hard-currency returns — preys directly on the need to escape the lira. Phishing and smishing impersonate Lebanese banks and payment apps, online shops on Instagram take fresh-dollar payments and never deliver, and romance scams run over the diaspora's long-distance family channels.
The Internal Security Forces (ISF) operate a dedicated Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Bureau reachable at 01/293293, and the ISF website accepts anonymous complaints. Given limited formal consumer protection, the practical playbook is: bank or transfer operator first, ISF Cybercrime Bureau second, and assume cash handed to an unlicensed dealer is unrecoverable — prevention is worth more here than anywhere.
Common scams
- Currency exchange and banking scams exploiting the financial crisis
- Online shopping non-delivery and fake e-commerce sites
- Fake investment and cryptocurrency platforms
- Phishing impersonating Lebanese banks or financial services
Tourist-specific scams
- Unofficial taxi overcharging and meter manipulation
- Fake tour operators in Beirut and heritage sites
- Counterfeit goods and overpricing in tourist areas
Online shopping scams
- Phishing and smishing targeting bank credentials
- Fake online shops and social media marketplace fraud
- Crypto investment and 'AI trading' scams
Job scams
- Fake domestic and overseas job offers requiring upfront fees
- Task scams via messaging apps demanding escalating deposits
- Fake visa and asylum 'facilitators' charging for European appointments that never come
Romance scams
- Dating-app and social media romance with escalating financial requests
- Long-distance relationships leading to cryptocurrency investment requests
- Diaspora-targeted personas asking for transfers 'for family stuck in Lebanon'
Investment scams
- Fake forex and crypto trading platforms exploiting economic anxiety
- Pyramid and multi-level investment schemes
- Bogus intermediaries claiming to unlock or transfer frozen bank deposits for a fee
How to report a scam here
- Contact your bank immediately if money was transferred
- Call the ISF Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Bureau on 01/293293
- Report online at isf.gov.lb or use the anonymous complaints form on the ISF website
- Preserve all digital evidence: screenshots, transaction references, messages, and account details
Local reporting & protection links
Always verify reporting routes and emergency contacts on the official government or agency website for your country.
Bank & payment guidance
Contact your bank as quickly as you can, using the number on your account documents or in its app rather than anything supplied by the person who contacted you. Say you were deceived into authorising the payment, or that transactions were unauthorised, ask for them to be stopped and the receiving account reported, and note down a reference number. If the money went through OMT, Whish or another transfer operator, contact that operator's official support immediately with the transaction code — pickups can occasionally be blocked before collection. Treat anyone offering to 'unlock' frozen deposits for a fee as a fraudster; no private intermediary can do this. If a code, password or remote-access session was given, mention it explicitly. Keep dates, amounts and the original messages for the ISF Cybercrime Bureau on 01/293293.
Evidence to preserve
- Screenshot all messages, profiles, websites and payment pages
- Save transaction references, account numbers and crypto wallet addresses
- Keep emails with full headers where possible
- Note dates, times, names and phone numbers used
Frequently asked questions
What is the ISF Cybercrime Bureau in Lebanon?
The Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Bureau is a specialist unit within the Internal Security Forces (ISF) that investigates online fraud, blackmail, identity theft, and other computer crimes. It can be reached by phone on 01/293293 and through the ISF website at isf.gov.lb.
Can anyone really unlock frozen bank deposits in Lebanon for a fee?
No. Fraudsters posing as lawyers, bank insiders or 'financial engineers' charge upfront fees to release or transfer deposits trapped by the banking crisis, then disappear or invent complications requiring more payments. Any legitimate recourse runs through the bank itself or the courts — never through an intermediary demanding cash first.
How do currency exchange scams work in Lebanon?
Unlicensed street and WhatsApp dealers take one side of an exchange and vanish, pass counterfeit 'fresh' dollar notes, or switch agreed rates mid-transaction. Use licensed exchange offices, count and check notes on the spot, and avoid meeting private dealers with large amounts of cash.
Sources
- National police and cybercrime portals (verify on official sites)
- FTC / Action Fraud / Scamwatch consumer guidance