Viber scams rising: Police urge code protection

The Maldivian Police Anti-Scam Centre has released a public warning about the rising occurrence of scams carried out by the illegal obtaining of Viber account verification codes.

This increase in fraudulent activities is mainly due to increased online participation and technological progress that enables intricate deceptive tactics.

On Saturday, the Police Anti-Scam Centre indicated an increase in impersonation incidents where family members and contacts of individuals are tricked after criminals acquire verification codes for their Viber accounts.

As a result, the Centre has detailed various preventative strategies. The police caution people not to share Viber verification codes with anyone and suggest activating the 'two-step verification' option in the app's settings.

Additionally, the Police recommend that any unexpected demands for unusual information or funds from familiar people should be confirmed with a direct phone call to reduce the chance of being scammed.

Recently, the Anti-Scam Centre released another alert regarding a message featuring a link that encouraged people to sign up for the Gedhoruveriyaa housing scheme, a topic of considerable national discussion.