MVR 2.5M lost in scams past few months; MVR 700,000 recovered

Maldives Police Service states only MVR 700,000 from MVR 2.5 million lost in scams over the past two or so months has been recovered.

Scams carried out using various fraudulent tactics have skyrocketed in the Maldives. Police officers discussed scams at length during SSTV’s ‘Baaru Hathareh’ program on Monday night.

In this regard, Police Sergeant Fathimath Liusha identified the most common type of scam currently seen on social media as posting items for sale to fraudulently obtain money without delivering the purchased goods.

She also underscored a high number of scams involving fake links.

According to Liusha, a total of MVR 2.5 million has been reported lost in various scams within the two or so months since the Police’s Anti-Scam Centre was established. MVR 700,000 from this sum has been recovered, she added.

USD 30,000 was also lost to scams during the same period, of which USD 3,000 has been recovered.

Sub-Inspector of Police Shafza Hassan said one of the reported cases involved a scam amounting to MVR 200,000. She detailed that the centre receives around four to five scam-related reports each day, typically involving sums ranging from MVR 500 to MVR 2,000.

The funds obtained through scams are often funneled through multiple bank accounts. According to Liusha, the police now have the authority to freeze these accounts without a court order. She noted that a court order will be sought if the funds cannot be recovered this way.

Liusha also spoke regarding instances where large sums of money are unknowingly deposited in to unrelated accounts. She urged to voluntarily report such cases at the earliest.

“Because we have raised awareness, owners of accounts voluntarily report if huge sums of money are deposited into their accounts. They come to the station and report that MVR 30,000 or MVR 40,000 has been deposited into their accounts,” she detailed.

Police have urged the public to exercise extreme caution when making donations for medical care. They have repeatedly advised verifying the accuracy of the account before transferring any funds. Additionally, the police have called on the public to uphold their social responsibility by sharing information related to scam cases.