The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Finace Ministry yesterday warned the general public against a rise in scams through calls, SMSs, emails and social media.
A press release by the FIU said: “In recent times, a rapid increase in the number of complaints, filed by aggrieved parties, has been observed in relation to defrauding money from individuals by giving false information through fraudulent phone calls, text messages, e-mail messages and social media networks, promising to direct them to foreign employment or asking them to pay customs duties to receive parcels containing various valuable goods.
Therefore, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) hereby emphasizes to the public not to deposit money into the bank accounts of unknown parties or remit money through other means, based on the above information, without proper verification.
Further, the scammers, who engage in such practices, may request the following information from you in order to proceed with such transactions:
• Personal Identification Number (PIN);
• Card Verification Values (CVV) used to authenticate payment cards as stated on the back of the cards;
• One-Time Passwords (OTP) used to authenticate transactions;
• User IDs, Passwords and OTPs used in mobile banking/internet banking.
Therefore, the FIU further emphasizes to the public that such confidential information should not be shared with any third party and to be vigilant of such scams. Also, providing such details will surely make you/your family member/your close friend, a victim of a financial scam.
If you receive these types of phone calls, or text messages, please inform the FIU through 011-2477125 or 011-2477509″