Saturday
20th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
HQ of Maldives Police Service. Photo: TMJ
Police reported various scam callers embezzled over MVR 7.4 million within the past year.
Last year, the police received 226 complaints. However, they received 259 complaints this year. It is evident that the restrictive measure due to COVID-19 has led to an influx in cases.
The most prominent scam involves sending fake payment slips after purchases. “First they stake out the shops to find out the prices, then return after forging a fake payment slip”, said Superintendent of Police Ali Faaiz.
Due to the current situation, Faaiz stated that they are unable to convict criminals by viewing CCTV footage, as there are numerous external factors they are unable to determine. It is increasingly difficult to recover money stolen in this way.
Police claimed that few cases go to court, and even then, recovering the money lost is extremely difficult.