MVR 500,000 siphoned off in scam, one arrested

An arrest has been made for siphoning off over MVR 500,000 from the personal account and the account of an organization the victim was involved in.

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) revealed this during a press conference held at Iskandar Koshi on Thursday.

Anti-Scam Head Inspector of Police Mariyam Rasheeda revealed that a case of more than MVR 580,000 being siphoned off through a scam, has been filed at the police institution.

The case pertains to a call received by the victim on 12 February 2024 by an unknown number, where the scammer fraudulently obtained information from the victim including their email address, converting the victim's mobile number into an e-SIM, compromising internet banking and obtaining access to the victim’s internet banking.

The scammer emptied about MVR 555,000 from the organization the victim is involved in and MVR 25,000 from the victim’s personal account.

Shedding light on further details, the MPS Anti-Scam Center’s Scam Investigation Head Inspector of Police Sham Mohamed revealed that a total of MVR 587,149 was looted.

Sham added that when the matter was brought to the attention of the bank, the bank managed to save 47 percent of the money from the victim’s personal account from being looted as well as 42 percent of the company’s money.

Highlighting that 62 percent of the looted funds was withdrawn from eight ATM vestibules stationed nationwide, Sham stated that five businesses were found to have invested in high-value electronic goods.

Sham added that 18 percent of the unutilized money has been frozen in the accounts and that 16 cells of three units at the Maafushi Prison complex were raided in connection with the case.

As part of the raids, MPS officers confiscated 21 mobile phones, 10 headphones, three USD chargers, one pen drive, nine note books containing details of account numbers and mobile numbers as well as two SIM cards and a memory card.

The police institution revealed that the scam was an organized crime among a group of individuals.

Further investigations are currently underway in connection with the case.