The Cyber Crime Department of the Maldives Police Service has reported significant success in recovering funds lost to scams, achieving a 37 per cent recovery rate since the establishment of the Anti-Scam Centre.
Inspector of Police Sham Mohamed shared the updates, noting that 1,663 scam cases have been reported to the centre this year. Since 2021, more than 1,000 individuals in the Maldives have fallen victim to scams, with total losses exceeding MVR 100 million. Before the centre's creation, recovery stood at just 2 per cent.
The Anti-Scam Centre has implemented proactive measures, including freezing 2,949 accounts for 48 hours without court orders and an additional 754 accounts with judicial approval. Six cases have been forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s Office for prosecution, while 662 cases have been successfully resolved.
Authorities have identified 12 primary scam categories, including those involving unknown perpetrators, investment fraud, link-based scams, romance scams, fake job offers, identity theft, and business email compromise. The most prevalent type involves victims being defrauded without knowing the perpetrator, accounting for 242 reported cases.
Police highlighted that the dedicated Anti-Scam Centre has markedly improved investigative capabilities and fund recovery efforts, overcoming previous limitations in resources.