Public Warned Over Fake Business Pages on Social Media

The Maldives Police Service has warned the public to exercise caution when dealing with Facebook pages that pose as legitimate businesses. The warning comes after authorities observed an increase in online fraud cases involving fake commercial pages.

The Police Anti-Scam Centre said it has identified a growing number of incidents involving fraudulent business pages that misuse business registration numbers and issue invalid invoices to deceive customers. Some pages present themselves as professional commercial operations while engaging in extortion and other scam activities. Authorities said many of the pages are associated with furniture and jewellery businesses, which scammers often use to appear credible to potential buyers.

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Police urged the public to independently verify business authenticity through the official business registration portal even if a registration number is displayed on a social media page. They stressed that the presence of a registration number alone does not confirm that a business is genuine.

The Anti-Scam Centre highlighted several warning signs that should be considered before making payments. Businesses generally operate using corporate bank accounts, and requests to transfer money to personal or private accounts should be treated as suspicious. Facebook pages with disabled comment sections were also advised to be treated with caution. In addition, customers were discouraged from dealing with furniture businesses that do not provide a showroom, warehouse, or verifiable physical address.

Police advised the public to conduct further checks before sending money to unfamiliar sellers. This includes reviewing the history of a page, such as whether it has been renamed, as well as checking the creation date and the location of page administrators. Authorities noted that scammers often operate using new or inactive accounts.