News Desk
A surge of scams has swept through the Maldives, with over MVR 899,000 ($58,000) stolen in just two weeks, according to the Maldives Police Service’s Anti-Scam Centre. Between April 18 and April 30, the Centre documented 44 fraud cases, resulting in a total loss of MVR 899,348.43 ($58,087.65). Authorities have recovered MVR 147,132.00 ($9,495.61), with full recovery achieved in eight cases and partial recovery in three others.
The scams take various forms, with e-commerce fraud leading as the most common, accounting for 25 cases, followed by foreign exchange scams with 10 cases, phone-based scams with four, phishing links with two, and other methods making up the remaining three. Scammers primarily exploit platforms like Facebook Marketplace, used in 18 cases, followed by Viber with 11 cases, phone calls with four, eBay with four, and other platforms accounting for seven cases.
There is an urgent need for strong financial and digital literacy to counter these growing threats. Police advises the public to avoid clicking suspicious links, refrain from sharing verification codes, and exercise caution, even with messages from known contacts. The Centre also urges victims to report incidents promptly to improve the chances of recovering lost funds. As scams proliferate, heightened vigilance and education remain essential for safeguarding against fraud in an increasingly digital world.
