The Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced on its Twitter account on Sunday that it would soon start naming and shaming those issuing fraudulent checks.

The ministry placed a picture on its Twitter account of an advertisement it ran in a Riyadh newspaper with an example of a fraudulently issued check. The offender would be liable for this punishment by not having all or insufficient funds in his or her account to pay the money owed, the ministry warned.

It stated that those found guilty of such an offense would have to pay for the full-page advertisement announcing their guilt, apart from paying the money they owe. A full-page color advertisement in a local newspaper can cost as much as SR100,000.

Many Saudis and expatriates have welcomed the move by the ministry.

Khaled Al-Nahdi, a Saudi working as a sales representative for an advertising agency here, told Arab News that the decision by the ministry was commendable and would act as a deterrent.

“I was a victim of this type of fraud four years ago. A client issued a check for SR15,000 for his ads, but unfortunately did not have the amount in his account.” Al-Nahdi said it took a long time before he could get the payment.

“I strongly support this measure for the sake of our country’s business reputation,” he said.

An Asian expatriate here, who did not want to be named, said he was conned of SR5,000 by a Saudi who claimed he could get him citizenship of this country for a fee.

“He asked me to first give him SR5,000. To gain my trust he issued a check in the same amount as a guarantee.”

The expatriate said the Saudi called him a few days later informing him that an official at the Civil Affairs office in Riyadh would like to meet him.

The Asian worker rushed to the place and after a couple of hours, the Saudi man called him and asked for a further SR10,000. When the expatriate said he did not have the money, the man said the person he was supposed to meet would not turn up to help him.

“I then realized that the man was a swindler and only wanted my money. I immediately went to the bank to cash the check but found he had no money in his account.”

However, some people do not agree with the ministry’s decision. Sami Al-Harbi, a Saudi who works as a logistics support administrator in Riyadh, said that unscrupulous individuals could use this measure to harm others, especially if they are business competitors.

Al-Harbi said the ministry could prevent this from happening by first thoroughly investigating any such accusations. He also advised people to only accept bank-guaranteed checks.