In August alone, scam-related cases resulted in financial losses totaling MVR 1.9 million
2 ސެޕްޓެމްބަރު 2026 | ބުދަ 08:29The Maldives Police Service revealed in a social media post on Wednesday that 184 scam cases were reported throughout August, resulting in a total financial loss of MVR 1,962,260.
Maldivian currency notes. | Social Media
The Maldives Police Service's Anti-Scam Centre has revealed that 1.9 million Rufiyaa was lost to scam-related incidents in the month of August alone.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the police revealed that a total of 184 scam cases were reported during the month of August, resulting in a total loss of MVR 1,962,260.
An analysis of the platforms used to carry out these scams reveals that they were orchestrated through online messaging apps, iBay, phone calls, and suspicious links, as well as Facebook Marketplace. Among these, the highest number of reported cases involved e-commerce or online business transactions. Specifically, 79 cases related to e-commerce scams were reported to the police during the month of August.
The next most frequently reported cases involve foreign exchange scams. While 43 such cases have been filed, the police have also received 20 reports related to booking cancellations and refund scams. Furthermore, police stated that 12 cases of impersonation and unauthorized transactions have been reported, along with 18 other miscellaneous scam cases.
However, police stated that MVR 1,129,106 has been recovered through the cooperation of relevant institutions and banks.
To protect against scams, police have urged the public to refrain from sending money to strangers and to use only licensed money changers for currency exchange. Furthermore, the police have advised the public never to share their banking credentials with any third party.
