The Maldives Police Service has appealed to the public for help in identifying a man believed to be connected to an ongoing scam investigation being handled by its Anti-Scam Centre.
In a statement released on Wednesday, police shared surveillance footage showing a young man near an ATM, saying investigators are attempting to establish his identity as part of their inquiries into the case.
According to police, the individual has not yet been identified, and efforts are underway to locate him. Members of the public who recognise the person or have information that could assist the investigation have been urged to contact the Anti-Scam Centre on 9212020.
Police also thanked the public for their continued cooperation in helping identify suspects, noting that community assistance has played a key role in solving similar cases in the past.
The appeal comes as authorities continue to combat a growing number of scam-related offences across the Maldives. The Anti-Scam Centre, established to tackle financial fraud, has received more than 2,259 reports over the past year, with around 50 percent of cases linked to e-commerce and online marketplace scams.
Police statistics show that 3,852 accounts have been frozen as part of scam investigations, while more than MVR 10 million has been recovered and returned to victims. The recovered funds account for approximately 37 percent of the total losses reported.
Authorities are also working with international partners to disrupt cross-border scam networks. Through operations such as Operation Frontier Plus, police have helped intercept and recover significant sums of money that had been transferred overseas.
Police said one of the biggest challenges in scam investigations is the delay in reporting incidents, urging the public to contact the Anti-Scam Centre immediately if they suspect they have been targeted by fraudulent activity.
