News

Maldives Leads Regional Anti-Scam Operation with Highest Recovery Rate

15 Jun

The Maldives Police Service has recorded the highest scam recovery rate among seven Asian nations in Operation Frontier+, a month-long joint effort to fight cross-border fraud.

 

Held from April 28 to May 28, the operation focused on disrupting scam transactions and recovering stolen funds. It marked the first mission under the Frontier+ network, launched and spearheaded by Singapore’s Anti-Scam Command.

 

During the operation, 199 scam cases were reported in the Maldives. Victims lost about MVR 2.91 million, of which MVR 640,000 was recovered, giving the Maldives a 21% recovery rate, the best among all participating countries.

Inspector of Police Adam Naveed, head of the Anti-Scam Centre, and Inspector Sham Mohamed, who leads scam investigations, represented the Maldives in the joint operation.

 

The broader effort brought together agencies from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Macau, and the Maldives. Thousands of reports were processed, leading to arrests and ongoing investigations across the region.

 

The operation wrapped with a high-level meeting in Hong Kong on June 3, followed by a live press briefing with international media.

 

Beyond the numbers, the operation helped agencies coordinate faster responses, freezing scam-linked accounts, sharing data, and improving how stolen money is traced and recovered across borders.

 

“This operation shows just how essential international cooperation is in the fight against digital scams,” said the head of the Anti-Scam Centre. “Criminals don’t stop at borders, and neither should we. Frontier+ gives us the tools and partnerships we need to protect our people and bring scammers to justice.”

 

The Maldives Police reaffirms its commitment to regional cooperation through the Frontier+ network and similar initiatives to protect citizens and improve international enforcement.