Sri Lanka Police have warned the public to remain vigilant against financial scams carried out by fraudsters who impersonate police officers using photographs of police personnel and fake social media accounts.
Police said complaints relating to such scams continue to be reported despite ongoing investigations and the arrest of several suspects.
According to Police, scammers create fake WhatsApp and Telegram accounts using photographs of police officers and falsely identify themselves as officials from the Sri Lanka Police, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), or the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Victims are threatened with claims such as their National Identity Card has been used in a fraud, their bank account has been linked to money laundering, or legal action will be taken against them. Fraudsters then attempt to obtain OTPs, bank account details, passwords and other confidential information.
They also deceive victims by claiming they need to "verify" information or reactivate a "frozen" bank account, persuading them to transfer money to other accounts or purchase cryptocurrencies such as USDT.
Police stressed that no government institution or private organisation requests National Identity Card numbers, bank account details, card numbers, CVV codes, passwords or OTPs via telephone calls, WhatsApp or social media platforms.
The Sri Lanka Police, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka do not conduct investigations through personal WhatsApp accounts or request members of the public to deposit money into bank accounts.
The public has also been advised not to open suspicious links or scan QR codes sent by unknown individuals or social media groups and to verify any suspicious communication through the official contact details of the relevant institution.
Police further emphasised that they do not charge any fees for investigations. Information regarding such scams can be reported to the Computer Crime Investigation Division on 071 8592918, 071 8591765 or 011 2300756.
