The amount of money lost to scams by the public since records started exceeds MVR 150 million, police have said.
Speaking at a press conference at the Iskandhar barracks yesterday, Superintendent Abdulla Rasheed, head of the Economic Crime Department, said many scam cases are reported to the police, which has been working with the relevant agencies to reduce the number of cases.
“Since 2021 when we started keeping records, 28,003 cases have been submitted to us so far. While 28,003 scams of various types were submitted, about MVR 57.8 million was lost in total. That is only in Dhivehi Rufiyaa. There are dollars also with USD 64,000 lost in total,” Abdulla Rasheed said.
Of the total MVR 156 million recorded by the police as lost to scams, MVR 1 million was recovered, Abdulla Rasheed said.
Rasheed also explained the types of scams commonly reported, including:
- Scams carried out through phone calls claiming the victim has won a flat or plot of land
- Scams where personal information or personal accounts are hacked through links sent to phones
- Scams carried out through messages sent with claims about a promotion or the victim winning a prize
- Scams carried out through reloads or Raastas
- Scams asking for money transfers to bank accounts by calling from an unknown number and impersonating a friend or relative
- Scams on various social media platforms in the guise of selling dollars
- Scams that promote prostitution on social media platforms
- Scams carried out through sale of various types of items through social media platforms or other means
- Scams carried out by obtaining OTP or using scan and pay
- Scams carried out by changing e-SIMs
- Scams carried out in the name of the most prominent social issue at the time, for example asking for donations to a Palestine fund.
In order to bring down the number of people who become victims of scams, police have been conducting various awareness programs in collaboration with relevant agencies and companies, Rasheed said.
The result of the awareness programs has been positive, Rasheed said. But difficulties remain as scammers find new ways when one avenue is closed, he said.
Sharing statistics of scam cases, Rasheed said the number of cases reported last year was lower than 2022. In 2022, 1,087 cases were reported and 971 cases were recorded last year, he said. However, the amount of money lost last year was higher than the previous year.
The reason for the spike was cases of theft in early 2023 where scammers hacked and took control of people’s bank accounts, Rasheed noted.
Rasheed also noted challenges in investigating scam offenses. Efforts have been underway since last year to overcome the challenges and reduce crime, he said.
