The Cyber Crime Centre of the Maldives Police Service (MPS) has reported a surge in online scams involving phishing links, leading to the breach of Google and Telegram accounts.

According to the Centre, a significant number of Google account compromises have been linked to phishing links falsely claiming to be part of the Gedhoruveriyaa housing scheme. These deceptive links are presented as access portals for the Gedhoruveriyaa programme. When clicked, users are prompted to sign in using their Google credentials. If they enter their password, scammers gain full access to the account.

To protect against such attacks, the Centre strongly advises the public to enable two-factor authentication on their Google accounts.

The Centre also clarified that legitimate access to the Gedhoruveriyaa portal is only available via the official e-pass system and does not require a Google login. Members of the public who receive suspicious links are urged to report them by calling 911.

Additionally, the police have observed a rise in phishing scams targeting Telegram users. These scams involve links disguised as photo downloads, often appearing to come from someone in the victim’s contact list. When clicked, the link prompts the user to input their phone number, triggering the delivery of a one-time password (OTP). Once the OTP is entered, hackers gain full control of the Telegram account.

Police are urging everyone to remain cautious, avoid clicking unknown links, and report any suspicious activity immediately.