Police Report 38 Scam Cases Last Week, MVR 356,163.40 Lost and MVR 245,389.64 Recovered

The Maldives Police Service has said that 38 cases of scams were submitted last week, and that 67.99 percent of the money lost in these cases has been recovered. In these cases, while a total of MVR 356,163.40 was lost from the public, MVR 245,389.64 of the lost money has been recovered through work carried out with the cooperation of relevant institutions and banks. The police note this as a major achievement in the work being done by the police to stop financial crimes and to keep the people's property safe. The police said that the frauds and deceptions most used to obtain money were cases of fraud and deception carried out claiming that foreign currency exchange would be provided. 12 such cases have been reported. Next, the most numerous are cases of fraud and deception carried out using "e-commerce" scams run under the name of online trading. 9 such cases have been submitted. In addition to this, 4 cases of unauthorized transactions, 4 cases of investment scams carried out claiming that a large profit would be given within a short period, and 3 cases carried out in connection with booking cancellation or refunds, as well as 3 cases of unintentional [sic] have been reported. And 3 cases carried out in other various ways are also included. Scam cases are increasing day by day. The scams carried out claiming that foreign currency exchange would be provided are the cases most reported last week as well, and therefore the public has been requested to pay attention to this matter. It has also been requested to use only licensed exchanges for foreign currency exchange. In addition, the police said that not sending money in advance to untrustworthy parties in online trading, and giving priority to the cash on delivery principle of paying money once the goods are received, is also an important step that can be taken to stay safe from such scams. Likewise, even if a message is received requesting money in the name of a close friend or a family member, it has also been requested to call that person before sending the money and confirm that it is a genuine transaction.