The Maldives Police Service has announced that MVR 1,962,260.38 was defrauded from the public through various scams and deception cases carried out in the Maldives during the month of August.

According to police statistics, 184 such cases were reported during the period, and through joint efforts by police and relevant authorities, MVR 1,129,106.87 has been recovered. The most common were “e-commerce” scams run under the guise of online shopping, with 79 cases reported. Other categories included 43 foreign currency exchange scams, 20 cases tied to booking cancellations and refunds, 18 cases involving calls made in the name of acquaintances to extract money, 12 unauthorised transaction cases, and 12 miscellaneous cases.

Police noted that close to 100% — specifically 99% — of scams in the Maldives are carried out through various social media platforms. Of these, the largest share, 95%, involves fraud committed via Facebook Marketplace. Fraud is also being conducted through online messaging apps, eBay, phone calls, and phishing links.

To help prevent such cases, police have urged the public not to treat every online advertisement, message, or call as truthful, and to think carefully before making financial transactions or sharing personal information. They have also called on people to verify who they are dealing with and to be wary of demands to send money in a hurry.