Maldives joins China-led alliance against telecom, cyber fraud

The Maldives has joined a China-led international alliance established to combat telecom and cyber fraud, as authorities seek closer cross-border cooperation against online scam networks.

The International Alliance Combating Telecom and Cyber Fraud was launched on Thursday during the 2026 Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China.

Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan represented the Maldives at the launch.

The alliance, initiated by China, brings together 46 countries.

Speaking at the launch, Chinese State Councillor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong said telecom and cyber fraud could not be addressed effectively by any country acting alone.

“No country in the world can tackle crimes such as telecom and cyber fraud on its own,” Wang said.

He called for greater international cooperation and said the alliance would be inclusive, respect United Nations conventions and comply with the domestic laws and regulations of participating countries.

Wang said a key focus of the alliance would be identifying and responding to newer forms of fraud involving technologies such as artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.

The alliance will focus on sharing intelligence on cross-border scam networks, strengthening joint law enforcement operations and improving international coordination against fraud.

It is also intended to establish mechanisms for the rapid exchange of information between participating countries and support coordinated raids and other enforcement action by police agencies.

For the Maldives, the initiative comes amid an increase in reported scam cases.

Police statistics show that more than 2,700 scam cases have been reported since the beginning of last year, with losses exceeding MVR 33 million.

Police say about 99 per cent of scams are carried out online through social media platforms and other applications.

Under the agreement establishing the alliance, Maldivian authorities are expected to receive greater assistance in tracing money transferred overseas through fraud cases and in accessing technology used to investigate and prevent such crimes.

The arrangement is also expected to support capacity building for police, speed up efforts to recover funds lost through scams and make it easier to conduct joint operations with law enforcement agencies in other countries.