Local authorities have cautioned the public regarding a new scam involving e-SIMs.
Authorities have revealed that these scammers contact potential victims under the guise of housing schemes and exploit the phone numbers of their targets to generate electronic SIM cards.
"They would call the victims, claiming they have won flats, and ask their victims for a meeting to verify their identity. They would then ask them share the code the victims receive on their phone for verification, but it actually is a one-time password which the scammers use to create e-SIMs," a victim shared their experience.
Both of the Maldives' mobile phone carriers, Dhiraagu and Ooredoo Maldives, offer e-SIM services.
“We have received reports of customers receiving calls by scammers claiming they won flats, and once the customers share the OTPs they receive to the phone with the scammers, they use it to create e-SIMs. They use these e-SIMs to log into the internet or mobile banking accounts of their victims,” said a senior official from Bank of Maldives (BML).
"We urge our customers not to disclose their usernames, passwords, OTPs, or any other details used to log into their internet or mobile banking accounts, especially during a season when discussions related to housing flats and apartments are common," the official added.
The widespread increase in scams has posed a nationwide challenge, prompting the government to initiate preparations for countermeasures to address the issue. These measures include installing jammers in local prisons and implementing restrictions on the number of SIM cards each customer can purchase.
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