MVR 300K lost in 41 scam cases last week

Police have reported 41 scam cases last week, resulting in a total loss of over MVR 372,000. The details of these incidents were released on Wednesday evening.

According to police figures, only MVR 163,996 from scams recorded last month has been recovered, representing 37.8 percent of the total reported losses.

The highest number of cases reported last week were impersonation scams, with 15 incidents. This was followed by 13 online business scams, six foreign exchange scams, and two phishing cases, along with five other cases.

Compared to the previous week, there has been an increase in losses of MVR 160,600.

Police urge the public to exercise caution and take preventative measures against scams. Recommendations include refraining from sharing personal information, enabling two-factor authentication on applications, and verifying the recipient's identity before making any payments.

Fraud cases can be reported to the police emergency number 911 or the anti-scam hotline 125.

In response to a rise in fraud cases utilizing modern technology, the police established an anti-scam center on March 17 to address such incidents.