It has been reported by the Maldives Anti-Scam Centre, last week there had been 39 cases of scams the authorities had to handle.

Out of these cases a total of MVR 457,776.96 was lost, and officials successfully retrieved MVR 222,755.20, which amounts to 48.7% of the week’s losses.

The most reported scams come from online business scams, showcasing 13 cases as of last week, where they use platforms, most commonly Ebay, Facebook Marketplace.

Moreover, the centre has further noted the increase in money laundering cases in the second week of August, where there were 8 cases in the first which, rising to 10 cases the second week of August.

There has also been numerous variants of scams reported to the Anti-scam Centre, including 5 cases of fraud, alongside 4 refund-scam cases, 2 investment cases, and 5 other scam types.

The public has been strongly advised to be take precautions in order to avoid falling victim to scams, alongside avoid making any financial transactions before receiving the purchased item, as well as to licensed exchanges in the exchange of currency.