The Maldives Police Service has revealed that 2,700 fraud and scam cases have been reported since last year, with victims losing more than MVR 33 million.

Speaking to State media, Head of the Police Anti-Scam Centre, Inspector of Police Adam Naveed, expressed concern over the increasing number of scams and the growing prevalence of technology-related and cybercrime cases in the Maldives.

Police statistics revealed that around 90 per cent of scam cases are carried out by individuals within the Maldives. Meanwhile, 99 per cent of reported scams are facilitated through social media platforms, with 95 per cent occurring directly through Facebook Marketplace.

Inspector Naveed urged the public to verify the identity of individuals before making payments, avoid sharing personal information and enable two-factor authentication on applications to reduce the risk of falling victim to scams.

He also stressed the importance of reporting scam incidents immediately, noting that delays often make it more difficult to recover lost funds.

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