Police warn of booking cancellation scam targeting resorts, guesthouses

Police have warned of a new type of booking cancellation scam targeting resorts, hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation providers, as more than MVR 15 million has been lost to scams in the Maldives so far this year.

Speaking at a press conference at Iskandhar Koshi on Thursday, Inspector of Police Adam Naveen said 1,584 scam cases had been reported so far this year. With the exception of four victims, all those affected were Maldivians, he said.

Naveen said scammers had obtained a total of MVR 15.67 million from victims.

Online shopping scams accounted for the largest number of reported cases, with 821 people deceived by individuals claiming to sell products through e-commerce platforms.

Foreign currency exchange scams were the second most common, affecting 244 people. Scams involving impersonation were the third most common category, according to police.

Naveen said police had also identified a newer method involving fraudulent booking cancellations, with 80 cases reported so far.

“This is a scam directly targeting resorts, hotels, guesthouses and businesses that rent rooms,” Naveen said.

Under the scheme, scammers send accommodation providers fake payment slips claiming to show that a booking has been paid for. They later contact the property saying they want to cancel the reservation and request a refund.

Police said some businesses then transfer the requested amount without first confirming whether payment for the original booking was actually received.

Naveen urged accommodation providers to verify that payments have been received before processing refunds.

Police said MVR 6.6 million, or 44 per cent of the money lost in scam cases this year, had so far been recovered.

The full amount lost has been recovered for 850 victims, while 320 others have recovered part of the money they lost.

Police have also taken steps to freeze 2,703 accounts linked to suspected scam cases for 48 hours. Of these, restrictions on 535 accounts were subsequently extended.

A total of 53 people suspected of involvement in scam networks have been arrested. Police have referred 25 cases to the Prosecutor General’s Office for prosecution, while four people have so far been convicted.

Naveen said scams often succeed because victims are deceived into taking actions themselves, making public awareness an important part of prevention.

Police have published more than 7,000 awareness posts and conducted more than 30 awareness sessions, he said, but people continue to fall victim to scams.

Naveen described the results achieved by Maldives Police Service in responding to scams as significant compared with anti-scam efforts internationally.