The Bank of Maldives (BML) has urged the public to beware of a rise in social media scams.
The number of scams carried out on various social media platforms with fake accounts under the name of real individuals has been increasing recently, BML said.
Scammers use the photo of a real person to create an account, talk to people, gain their trust and ask them to invest money, according to the bank.
Recently reported scams:
Scams with fake accounts are most common on Meta or Facebook. Scammers interact with various people through Facebook and ask for financial aid for purposes such as medical treatment. Such scams are usually carried out under the name of a friend or relative.
Messages are also being sent seeking payment of custom clearance fees for products or gifts delivered from overseas.
Fake deposit slips of the Maldives Islamic Bank were also used recently as fake BML slips were used in the past. Such slips are used to earn the trust of customers in order to deposit money to the accounts of scammers.
In addition to Facebook, scams are also being carried out through text message, Whatsapp, Viber, Telegram and Instagram, BML said.
Common scams with fake accounts
BML said online trading scams have also been increasing along with social media scams with fake accounts.
Common scams:
- Cryptocurrency trading
- Foreign currency exchange/forex trading
- Compromising login credentials using phishing links
- Online sale of goods or services
Precautionary measures for customers:
Before transferring money, the identity of the sender should be confirmed if such a request is received to any social media account or through a text message.
The bank should be alerted immediately if such a transaction was mistakenly processed and a complaint should be filed with the Maldives Police Service.
BML said the bank has been trying to raise awareness among the public due to the rise in scams.
Information about scams has been posted on the bank's social media accounts and more content related to scams will be shared in the coming days, BML said.
