Police have reported 35 scam cases in the first three months of this year. Of these, 16 involve email fraud and mobile blackout scams. According to police, victims often fall for such schemes because of attractive offers from scammers or a lack of vigilance.
Police recorded 12 cases of compromised emails and four cases of mobile blackout scams, involving more than Nu 1.6 M.
According to police, email fraud appears to be legitimate. Scammers often use logos and details of organisations in these messages to make them seem real. When victims unknowingly click the links in these messages, scammers steal victims’ personal information.
Meanwhile, mobile blackout scams start when fraudsters obtain a victim’s personal information through phishing messages or fake calls. They then contact the mobile service provider, pretend to be the victim, and request a SIM replacement, claiming the phone was lost.
Once the new SIM is activated, the victim’s phone loses network connection. The scammers then receive OTP codes, access bank accounts, reset passwords, and transfer money before the victim realises the fraud.
Deputy Chief of Police of Crime Division, Colonel Passang Dorji said, “Whenever a new case emerges, we try to ensure that the public is informed. The cases may not be entirely new, but the frequency of such scams is increasing. We feel it is important for people to know that many scams are taking place.”
Concerned that more people could fall victim to such deceptive practices, the police, the Royal Monetary Authority, financial institutions and the GovTech Agency are exploring options to de-link email addresses from bank accounts.
Colonel Passang Dorji said, “We have coordinated with relevant agencies and agreed to do whatever we can to safeguard and secure people’s accounts and emails. We are doing our part, but individual responsibility is the most important.”
The remaining 19 cases involve cryptocurrency scams, dollar exchange fraud, fake investment schemes, lottery prizes, OTP sharing and fraudulent job offers.
So far, police have recovered nearly Nu 830,000 from the more than Nu 5.4 M involved in these scams.
Kelzang Chhophyel/Karma Wangdi
