Police Reveals MVR 27 Million Scam Losses Since December 2023

Maldives Police Service has revealed a significant loss of MVR 27 million to scams from December last year to the present day.

During a press briefing held yesterday, Chief Inspector of Police Abdulla Rasheed, from the Economic Crimes Department, disclosed that a total of MVR 27 million had been lost due to scams since December of the previous year. 

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Rasheed elaborated that 28,003 cases related to scam-related crimes had been reported to the police during this period, involving a sum of MVR 57 million and USD 640,000.

Rasheed outlined various methods employed in perpetrating these scams, including falsely claiming the victim has won land, a flat, or a prize in a promotion; obtaining personal information through links sent to their phones; impersonating acquaintances via unknown numbers; offering to sell dollars on social media platforms; engaging in prostitution and indecent acts; exploiting the “scan and pay” method; and acquiring One-Time Passwords (OTPs).

Efforts to combat such scams are underway, with plans to establish a scam prevention centre scheduled for operation in March, as announced by Chief Inspector Abdulla Rasheed.

He highlighted a 100-day program conducted in 2022 and ongoing initiatives aimed at reducing scam-related crimes. Despite a decrease in reported cases from 2022 to 2023, Rasheed emphasised that the amount of money lost to scams had risen in 2023 compared to the previous year.