Addu man arrested for stealing over MVR 16,000 in Facebook Marketplace scams

A young man was detained from Addu City on Saturday, on allegations he scammed multiple people out of money by posing as a seller on the Facebook Marketplace.

Abdulla Mil’han, 33, Funoas, S. Meedhoo, was arrested from the Meedhoo district of Addu under a court warrant on Saturday, in a joint operation by the Anti-Scam Center and Hulhumeedhoo Police.

According to the police, the operation was conducted following multiple cases of scam linked to Mil’han.

According to police, the investigation uncovered Mil’han was involved planning and running scams by posing as a seller on the Facebook Marketplace, scamming multiple people out of money over a prolonged period of time.

He is also accused of recruiting other people to his scheme, giving them financial benefits in exchange for allowing him to roll the scam money through different bank accounts.

He scammed people out of at least MVR 16,000 in three such cases.

He was remanded in custody of the police for 15 days on Sunday.

The case is under further investigation by the police.

The arrest comes amid a rise in Facebook Marketplace scams. The police urge people who purchase products online to verify the authenticity of bank accounts before making transfers and to make payments only after they receive the goods.