Police Warn of Rise in Money Laundering Scams as 17 Cases Filed in One Week

Police have noted that scams under the guise of money laundering are increasing, with 17 such cases filed in the past week alone. According to police statistics, a total of 32 scam cases were filed last week, with MVR 737,695.26 lost in these cases. Through efforts by the police department, MVR 144,558.26 has been recovered. The cases include money laundering (17), e-commerce (6), investment (4), fraud committed against someone by deception (1) and others (4). Police stated that online messaging apps, iMessage, phone calls, phishing links and Facebook Marketplace are generally used to carry out scams. The Anti-Scam Center has shared precautions to protect against such scams. Police said that if a rate seems unusually good while engaging in money laundering, it could be a scam. They also urge people to ensure they receive funds from the party involved in the transaction before depositing money, and not to give money if they are not sure of the identity of the other party. Instructions have been given not to click on any suspicious links and not to share secret information such as OTPs with anyone. Police urge victims of scams to call 125 as soon as possible and report the incident.