165 scam cases in October, MVR 1.3M lost

Police reported 165 scam cases last month, resulting in financial losses totaling MVR 1.3 million.

According to police statistics, the most common scams involved e-commerce or online business fraud, with 86 cases reported. Other scams included 25 currency exchange frauds, 17 impersonation cases, 15 phishing, vishing, and job-related scams, and 22 cases of various other types.

Of the total losses, only MVR 400,000 has been recovered so far. Police said 84 of the reported cases have been resolved.

The scams were carried out through phone calls, phishing links, online messaging platforms, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace.

Authorities continue to warn the public to remain vigilant, as the number of scam victims remains high.