Scams increase in first week of Aug, resulting in over MVR 400K in losses

Criminal cases involving scams increased in the first week of August, resulting in over MVR 400,000 in losses, according to statistics released by the police.

According to the police, the agency received reports of 53 cases of scam over the one-week period from August 2-8.

The scams resulted in the loss of MVR 475,275.76, out of which the police successfully recovered MVR 269,631.27 with support from partner financial institutions.

This marks an increase compared to the previous week, when the police received reports of 42 cases of scams, resulting in the loss of MVR 334,549, out of which the police successfully recovered MVR 163,558.

The highest number of scams involved e-commerce, with 22 such cases reported last week.

The total 53 cases of scams reported include:

• E-commerce: 22 cases
• Currency exchange: 12 cases
• Booking cancellation and refund scam: 7 cases
• Impersonation: 3 cases
• Other: 9 cases

Meanwhile, the most common mediums used to run the scams included online messaging platforms, iBay, phone calls, unknown links, and Facebook Marketplace.

The police urged people to report scam cases as soon as possible for a better chance at recovering their money.