Maldives Police Service has stated that more than MVR 270,000 has been recovered from scam cases reported so far this month.

Statistics released by the Police Anti-Scam Centre show that 55 scam cases were reported between the first day of the month and the seventh day. The total reported losses from these cases amount to MVR 494,712.70.

Of the total amount lost, MVR 270,070.40 has been recovered.

Most of the cases reported to the Anti-Scam Centre were related to e-commerce or online trading, with 27 such cases recorded.

Breakdown of scam cases reported to police:

Information released by the Anti-Scam Centre shows that scammers most commonly use phone calls, Viber, online messaging platforms, phishing links and Facebook Marketplace to target victims.

Police advised the public to verify the authenticity of individuals before making payments in order to avoid falling victim to scams. They also urged people not to share personal information and to enable two-factor authentication on applications as an important step to protect themselves from such incidents.

Police also noted that scammers often succeed when victims delay reporting incidents. Reporting scam cases as soon as possible can increase the chances of recovering lost money.

Scam cases can be reported through the National Emergency Call Centre by calling 911 or 125 (extension 2020), or by emailing [email protected].