The general public has once again been urged to exercise extreme caution when using social media platforms, amid a surge in online financial scams.
Sri Lanka Police issued the warning following a noticeable increase in financial crimes targeting citizens through platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram.
According to Police Headquarters, scammers often promise employment opportunities, donations or assistance with false claims, while discouraging victims from seeking legal action. These tactics ultimately enable the unauthorised transfer of funds from victims’ bank accounts.
Investigations have revealed that perpetrators use sophisticated methods to obtain confidential information, including bank account numbers, passwords, One-Time Passwords (OTPs) and QR codes, through internet-based long-distance transactions or scanned codes.
In some instances, individuals posing as bank employees have contacted account holders to extract sensitive banking details and pressured them into transferring funds. Police also reported cases where fraudsters falsely claimed that money linked to drug traffickers was involved and instructed victims to deposit such funds into accounts controlled by criminals. Complaints relating to these incidents have been reported to the Mirihana Special Crimes Investigation Unit and the Padukka Police Station.
Police have reiterated earlier advisories and urged the public to strictly follow these guidelines: verify the authenticity of social media pages and official accounts; never disclose bank details, NIC numbers, login credentials, OTPs, passwords, PINs or personal photographs to third parties; avoid clicking on suspicious links or responding to unverified messages; conduct transactions only with trusted and verified accounts; and confirm the identity of recipients before making any financial transfers.
The public is also advised to immediately report any suspected fraudulent activity to the Cyber Crime Unit of the Police.
Individuals with information related to such scams are encouraged to contact the following authorities: the Mirihana Special Crimes Investigation Unit on 011-2852556; Officer in Charge, Mirihana SCU on 075-3994214; Deputy Director, Computer Crimes Investigation Unit on 011-2300638; Private Assistant, Computer Crimes Investigation Unit on 011-2381375; or Officer in Charge, Computer Crimes Investigation Unit on 011-2381058.
Police emphasised that strict adherence to these guidelines is essential to protect personal and financial security from increasingly sophisticated online fraud schemes.
