With the number of Bhutanese people seeking opportunities abroad on the rise, it has become easier for scammers to prey on them. Last year, 15 financial scam cases were registered with the police. This year, in the first two and a half months alone, 13 such cases have been reported. In total, affected individuals lost around Nu 10 M to scammers in the past 14 months. Authorities are warning people to be wary of scammers and not to share personal and financial details with others via phone and online.
According to the Royal Bhutan Police, scammers have been duping people by making false claims of lottery wins, hyping investment opportunities, and marketing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
These deceitful tactics are luring innocent victims into financial traps. A victim of such a scam lost over Nu 100,000 while waiting for a visa to study abroad.
“When I was waiting for my visa, I received a call telling me they were from the VISA department. Immediately, when they claimed to be from the VISA office, I provided all the details they asked for. After some time, I received a message stating that my money had been debited. When I called them back, they kept changing the subject. They initially claimed to be from the VISA department, but then they said they were from the telecom,” said Student, a victim.
To worsen the situation, the scammers kept demanding account numbers and other details of her siblings, threatening that she would not get her money back if she did not comply.
The incident was reported to the Department of Law and Order (DLO), which subsequently froze the scammer’s bank account.
Meanwhile, the DLO said that scammers have been contacting potential victims, claiming to be officials from VISA offices, and asking for personal information such as citizenship identity card numbers, bank account numbers, and OTPs.
The department added that scammers exploit this information to gain unauthorised access to bank accounts and execute fraudulent transactions.
“Not only the Department of Law and Order, but also agencies such as the Royal Monetary Authority, GovTech, and financial institutions are collaborating to prevent scams. The primary focus is on raising awareness. For instance, the DLO issued a public notification on February 9th, 2024. Despite these efforts to raise awareness, people should remain vigilant, particularly in today’s digital world,” said Karma Dorji, a representative from the Department of Law and Order.
The DLO is urging people not to share OTPs with anyone, even if phone calls claim to be from bank officials.
Banks, on the other hand, have been sending bulk SMS to inform people that bank officials will never request OTPs or mobile app login pins from their customers.
Meanwhile, the Royal Monetary Authority has issued a notification advising people to refrain from lending, sharing, or renting out their bank accounts.
According to the central bank, such actions may facilitate fraudsters in illegally receiving or transferring money.
The RMA notification also states that victims can be prosecuted under the law if their accounts are found to be involved in such illegal activities, even if they are not directly involved or do not have knowledge of such activities.
Kinzang Lhadon & Kinley Dem
Edited by Sherub Dorji
