Sri Lanka CERT has warned the public about a sophisticated fraud scheme in which scammers impersonate officials of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) to steal victims’ bank deposits.
According to Sri Lanka CERT, complaints have been received about individuals contacting victims through mobile phones and social media, claiming to have information about their savings and fixed deposits.
The scammers allegedly tell victims that complaints have been lodged claiming their deposits were obtained through fraudulent means and threaten them with an investigation by the FCID.
They then send forged letters bearing fake Central Bank letterheads, signatures of purported officials and rubber stamps to make the claims appear legitimate.
Victims are subsequently instructed to transfer money from their bank accounts to a specified private bank account, which the scammers falsely claim belongs to an FCID officer. In some cases, victims are asked to transfer half of their existing deposits and provide the bank deposit slip as proof.
The scammers also reportedly instruct victims to obtain a letter requesting the return of the transferred money to their original bank account after the supposed investigation is completed.
Sri Lanka CERT said the fraudsters operate in a highly sophisticated manner and reportedly possess police uniforms, bank identification cards and rubber stamps to strengthen the appearance of legitimacy.
The public has been urged to remain extremely vigilant and not to provide financial information or transfer money in response to such requests.
Sri Lanka CERT also warned that retired and elderly persons are particularly vulnerable to this type of fraud and urged family members and the public to make them aware of the scam.
(Daily Mirror)