The Maldives Police Service has recovered nearly MVR 196,000 lost in scam cases reported over the past week.

Statistics released by the Police Anti-Scam Centre show that 46 scam cases were reported during the week, involving losses totalling MVR 325,485. Of that amount, MVR 195,934.39 has already been recovered through police efforts.

The majority of reports involved online shopping (e-commerce) scams, which accounted for 30 cases. Police also recorded four money exchange scams, while the remaining 12 cases involved other types of fraud.

The Anti-Scam Centre said scammers commonly used phone calls, online messaging platforms, phishing links, eBay and Facebook Marketplace to target victims.

Police have urged the public to exercise caution when making online purchases by verifying the credibility of sellers and avoiding advance payments to unknown individuals. They also advised using trusted payment methods and withholding payment until goods have been received whenever possible.