Police Record 33 Scam Cases As Over MVR 180,000 Lost In A Week

Scams reported in the Maldives last week resulted in losses of MVR 184,235, with police recovering MVR 72,073 of the stolen funds, according to police statistics. 

The Maldives Police Service recorded 33 scam cases between 19 and 25 July, with e-commerce scams accounting for nearly half of the reported incidents.

advertisement

Police statistics show that the cases comprised 16 e-commerce scams, seven booking cancellation refund scams, four currency exchange scams, one impersonation scam and five other types of scams.

Online messaging platforms, iBay, phone calls, phishing links and Facebook Marketplace were among the methods and platforms used to carry out the scams.

The Anti-Scam Centre said scam methods continue to evolve alongside advances in technology and urged the public to remain vigilant against artificial intelligence-generated deepfake content.

Police said around 90 per cent of scams carried out in the Maldives are perpetrated by individuals operating within the country.

Police also highlighted a newly identified booking cancellation refund scam reported during the past week. In these cases, scammers make bookings through social media and send fake payment slips before claiming that an emergency has arisen and requesting cancellation of the booking and a refund.

Police advised businesses and individuals not to rely solely on payment slips when processing refunds. Instead, they should verify through their banking applications that the payment has actually been credited to their accounts.

Police also urged the public not to click on suspicious links or share confidential information, including one-time passwords (OTPs), with others. People shopping online have also been advised to verify the authenticity of sellers before making payments.

Anyone who falls victim to a scam is urged to report it to the police as soon as possible by calling 125.