Nearly MVR 500,000 lost in scams reported in a single week, say police

Scammers defrauded victims of nearly MVR 500,000 in a single week last week, according to police.

Maldives Police Service’s Anti-Scam Centre said 45 cases were reported between 13 and 19 May, resulting in losses totaling MVR 481,520. Of that amount, MVR 383,610 has so far been recovered.

Police said 80 person of the reported scams involved e-commerce or online business fraud. Twenty-six of the cases were linked to e-commerce platforms, while 20 involved scams conducted through the Facebook Marketplace.

Scam types reported include:

- Foreign exchange scams: 10 cases

- Phone scams: 5 cases

- Impersonation, phishing, romance scam, and money laundering: 1 case each

- Scams on Viber: 9 cases

- Phone call scams: 6 cases

Scams were also carried out via iBay, Messenger, Telegram, and Instagram, the centre said.

The Anti-Scam Centre, established in March last year in response to a surge in fraud cases, urged the public to remain vigilant when dealing with unfamiliar individuals or offers online.

Since its inception, the centre has received 229 scam reports over a six-month period, with losses amounting to MVR 2.2 million. Of that, MVR 427,000 has been recovered. In the same period, USD 37,155 was lost, of which only USD 1,641 was retrieved.

Police said 125 bank accounts have been frozen in connection with the investigations.