11/6/2026
Issued by the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division
The following communiqué was issued:
As part of the ongoing efforts undertaken by the Internal Security Forces to combat various types of crime throughout Lebanon, particularly cybercrime and online fraud, a woman filed a complaint on 10-04-2026 before the Barouk Police Station of the Regional Gendarmerie Unit against a person identified as (A. T.), whose full identity remains unknown, for fraud and deception committed through a money transfer application. Pursuant to the instructions of the competent judicial authority, the investigation was referred on 22-04-2026 to the Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Rights Bureau of the Judicial Police Unit.
During her testimony at the Bureau’s headquarters, the complainant stated that, since the outbreak of the recent war, she had been actively involved with a number of friends working in the humanitarian and social sectors in organizing donation campaigns for displaced persons and affected families, with the aim of providing medicines, food supplies, infant formula, and diapers. She explained that she had published her phone number in WhatsApp groups to receive financial transfers through a money transfer company and had indeed begun receiving donations from various contributors.
She further stated that on 09-04-2026 she received a phone call from a person identifying himself as (A. T.), claiming to be a representative of the money transfer company she dealt with. He falsely informed her that her account had exceeded the permitted limit and that several financial transfers were pending as a result, offering to assist her in resolving the issue.
As she was expecting a money transfer from a relative living abroad, she believed his claims and began following his instructions. To verify that her account was still operational, she transferred a sum of money to her son’s account. After the transaction succeeded, he asked her to provide the verification code she had received through the company’s mobile application.
He then falsely claimed that USD 5,000 had been withdrawn from the account due to the alleged problem and later requested another verification code that had been sent to her son’s phone, under the pretext of fixing the issue and reorganizing the account.
After she provided the second code, she discovered that the funds had disappeared from the account. When she confronted him, he openly admitted that he had taken the money, claiming that she would recover it later together with the pending transfer. At that point, she realized that she had fallen victim to an online fraud scheme.
Through technical and digital investigations, Bureau personnel succeeded in tracing the path of the funds withdrawn from the complainant’s account. It was determined that the money had been transferred to an account associated with a digital trading company. After contacting the company, the Bureau requested that the amount be frozen.
As a result of the follow-up investigation, on 28-04-2026, the company’s legal representative appeared at the Bureau’s offices and handed over the full amount to the investigators.
The entire amount was subsequently returned to the complainant. Investigations remain ongoing, under the supervision of the competent judicial authority, to identify and arrest all those involved.
Warning:
The General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces urges citizens and residents alike to exercise caution against various fraud schemes and not to send any official documents, financial information, verification codes, or copies thereof to any suspicious or untrusted party, in order to avoid becoming victims of fraudsters.
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: On 19 August 2026, the owner of a gas station in Sarba reported that one of his employees: H. A. (born in 2003, Syrian national), had stolen a pouch belonging to the gas station containing approximately US$1,700 and fled to an unknown location. Following the complaint, specialized units of the Information Branch launched field and intelligence operations to locate and apprehend the suspect. Investigations led to the identification of his residence in the Deir el-Zahrani area. On 20 August 2026, following close surveillance and monitoring, a Branch patrol arrested him in the aforementioned area, accompanied by: Kh. Y. (born in 1998, Syrian national). A search of the residence where they were staying resulted in the seizure of: 84 Captagon pills; A quantity of hashish; A precision scale and booklets of rolling papers; Sharp objects and a pistol-shaped lighter; 7 mobile phones and two SIM cards. The two detainees and the seized items were handed over to the competent authority for the necessary legal action, pursuant to the instructions of the competent judicial authority.
5/9/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: As part of the Internal Security Forces’ ongoing efforts to combat various forms of crime, particularly human trafficking and prostitution-related activities, on 24 August 2026, the Anti-Human Trafficking and Morals Protection Bureau of the Judicial Police Unit received information indicating that several women were soliciting customers among motorists and passers-by along the coastal road in the Jiyeh area and engaging in prostitution inside chalets in the area. Following this information, and after coordinating with the competent judicial authority, a Bureau unit proceeded to the location and arrested five women, two Lebanese nationals and three Syrian nationals, as well as an Iraqi national responsible for the chalets, on suspicion of facilitating prostitution. During questioning, the five women admitted to soliciting customers and engaging in prostitution inside the chalets, facilitated by the aforementioned manager and another employee who worked at night, with the knowledge of the chalet owner. As the investigation continued, the employee and the chalet owner were summoned. The employee appeared and, during questioning, admitted to the allegations against him, while the chalet owner failed to appear. Pursuant to the instructions of the competent judicial authority, all those involved were arrested. Fourteen chalets, as well as the hotel’s main entrance, were placed under judicial seal. A search and investigation notice was also issued for the chalet owner, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend him.
4/9/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: On 1 September 2026, the body of an unidentified woman of African appearance was found in the Ramlet el-Baida area, at a location known as the “Summerland site.” According to the report of the forensic physician who examined the body, the cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest. The body was transferred to the morgue at Baabda Governmental Hospital. Description: A woman in her thirties, with dark skin and African features, of slim build, approximately 160 cm tall, wearing two rings—one in her nose and one in her right ear. She also has a tattoo containing foreign characters on the left side of her chest. Accordingly, and pursuant to the instructions of the competent judicial authority, the Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces asks her relatives or anyone with information about her to contact the Ramlet el-Baida Police Station of the Beirut Police Unit at 01-771922, to provide any relevant information so that the necessary legal procedures can be completed and the body released to her family.
4/9/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: As part of the ongoing efforts by specialized Internal Security Forces units to combat drug dealing across Lebanon, the Mount Lebanon Investigation Detachment of the Territorial Gendarmerie Unit received information about an individual dealing drugs in the Jbeil area from a black Mercedes C300. Following this information, Detachment patrols launched field and intelligence operations to apprehend the suspect. On 2 September 2026, following investigations and surveillance, a Detachment patrol spotted him on the Jbeil highway. Officers moved in and arrested him. He was identified as: I. N. (born in 1998, Lebanese national). A quantity of narcotics was seized from his possession, including: 63 bags of hashish; 7 bags of marijuana; 5 glass tubes containing narcotic substances; 120 narcotic pills of various types, divided into nylon packets. The detainee and the seized narcotics were handed over to the competent unit for the necessary legal action, pursuant to the instructions of the competent judicial authority.
4/9/2026
