Fraud & Financial Crime

Cybercrime in Jordan is reported to the Cybercrime Unit of the Public Security Directorate (PSD), or to any police station, which transfers the matter to the Public Prosecution. The Cybercrime Unit handles social media fraud, phishing, business email compromise, and cryptocurrency fraud under Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023.

Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023 replaced the 2015 law, expanding the offences from 17 to 41 articles. It covers unauthorized access to payment card data (Art. 8), attacks on financial systems (Art. 9), and online fraud using deceptive methods, false identities, or impersonation (Art. 10). Penalties range from 1 to 5+ years' imprisonment with fines of JOD 5,000 to 75,000.

Under Articles 417-420 of the Jordanian Penal Code, fraud (al-ihtyal) carries 6 months to 3 years' imprisonment and a fine of JOD 200-500, with minimum sentences imposed post-2022 amendment. Breach of trust under Article 422 carries 2 months to 2 years; where the offender holds a position of authority, it is aggravated under Article 423 to 2 to 3 years.

Yes. Victims may pursue both criminal prosecution (through the PSD Cybercrime Unit and Public Prosecution) and civil recovery actions for restitution and damages. The two proceedings may run concurrently. Preserving digital evidence, screenshots, transaction hashes, correspondence, is critical.

Fraud is classified as a misdemeanour (junha) under the Jordanian Penal Code, with a three-year statute of limitations from the date the offence occurred. Breach of trust under Article 422 carries a shorter filing window, three months from the date the victim discovered the offence.