More than MVR 450,000 lost in scams last week, police report

More than MVR 450,000 was lost in various scam cases last week, police said.

According to the Police Anti-Scam Centre, MVR 457,776.96 was lost in 39 cases reported during the period. Of this, MVR 222,755.20 was recovered, amounting to 48.7 percent of the week’s losses.

The centre said money-laundering scams increased compared to the second week of August. Eight cases were reported in the second week, rising to 10 cases last week.

Online business scams remained the most frequently reported category, with 13 cases recorded last week.

In addition, five cases of fraud, four refund-scam cases, two investment scams, and five other scam types were reported to the Anti-Scam Centre.

Police said common platforms used by scammers include online messaging applications, eBay, phishing links, and the Facebook Marketplace.

The public has been urged to take precautions to avoid falling victim to scams. Police advised people not to send money in advance to unknown individuals, to make payments only after online transactions are completed, and to use official banks or licensed exchanges when exchanging currency.