Maldives Police Service (MPS) has decided to restrict the sale of SIM cards due to stop phone scams.
Speaking to PSM News, Head of Financial Crime Unit, Inspector Yoosuf Looth said the phone numbers criminals use are unregistered, which poses a challenge for MPS to obtain their identities. He noted there has been an increase in phone scams with over 220 complaints filed so far this year and around USD259,000 stolen from the victims. He said that unregistered phone numbers will be blocked within 24 hours if they are suspected to have been used by scammers.
The police service and relevant authorities are formulating policies to make SIM card owners accountable. As such, a 100-day plan is being formulated to increase public awareness of phone scams. Inspector Andhaz Mohamed said the plan will reach out to over 100,000 people across the Maldives during the 100 days to inform them of the various types of phone scams and details of the investigations.
MPS has warned of various scams to steal money from victims and urged the public not to give out personal details to individuals who contact them and claim to be from banks or other authorities.