The Maldives Police Service has revealed that MVR 1.6 million was lost to scams in April, despite a significant drop in number c=of cases reported compared to the previous year.
The police’s Anti-Scam Centre said the number of scams reported this April declined by 43 percent compared to the same period last year. Of the cases reported in April, 63 were e-commerce related fraud.
The police also recorded twenty-nine cases of scamming in the name of currency exchange and three cases where fraudsters obtained money by impersonating others. Most scams were conducted via platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Telegram, Viber and Instagram.
Recently, scams carried out in the name of various business companies have increased dramatically. Cases involving hacked social media accounts used to impersonate in individuals are also on the rise.
To protect falling victim to such scams, the public is advised not to share personal and banking information.