Egyptian police have arrested several people accused of pretending to be judges and using social media to trick citizens into giving them money, according to the Ministry of Interior. Prosecutors have ordered the suspects to be held in jail and sent to a fast-tracked criminal trial.

The main suspects — an unemployed man and a student living in Cairo and Giza — admitted they formed a group that took money from people by falsely promising to get them government housing, the ministry said (BBC). To make themselves look real, they staged fake court scenes with help from several court employees. They filmed photos and videos inside an actual courthouse while one of them wore a judge's sash, a ceremonial garment that real Egyptian judges wear.

The plot was uncovered when a man told police he had been cheated by someone claiming to be a judge. Police then arrested the main suspect and found a gun, a judge's sash, and identity cards with a made-up judge title.

The main suspect said a second suspect and several court employees helped him. Those employees were also arrested and questioned. They said the main suspect had told them he worked for one of Egypt's judicial authorities. The second suspect admitted to filming and posting images and videos on social media while pretending to be a judge, according to prosecutors.

State-owned newspaper al-Ahram reported that several suspects connected to the plot were arrested and sent to a fast-tracked trial (BBC). Egypt's prosecutors officially ordered the suspects detained, including the man accused of pretending to be a judge and cheating citizens (al-Ahram), and then sent the fake judge and his helpers to an urgent criminal court (Ajel).

What makes this case stand out is how the scammers combined online tricks with real-world deception. They didn't just send messages online. They walked into an actual courthouse, dressed like a judge, and got real court employees to help them — even though those employees thought the man actually worked for the courts. Think of it like a con artist who films a fake commercial inside a real bank to convince people their investment scheme is legitimate. The real setting made the lie more believable.

The fact that court employees got involved — even without knowing they were being deceived — raises questions about how secure Egypt's courthouses are. An unemployed civilian was able to enter a courthouse, put on a judge's sash, and start filming without anyone stopping him. He also carried identity cards with a fake judge title, which means someone had to make counterfeit official documents.

The case shows how social media and in-person impersonation can work together to create a scam that is hard to detect until a victim comes forward. By sending the case to a fast-tracked trial, Egyptian authorities are signaling they want to move quickly.

All suspects are still presumed innocent until proven guilty. No trial dates have been announced yet.