The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has uncovered a large-scale online financial scam operated by fraudulently obtaining people’s one-time password (OTP) to access their bank accounts.
The Police said three suspects had been arrested in Kandy for having cheated online advertisers by stealing money from their bank accounts.
“The suspects had contacted advertisers on Facebook and other online platforms and had made purchases, after which they request the vendor for their bank accounts to deposit the payment. The suspects deposit a small portion of the payment and request the vendor for their bank OTP, which a number of unsuspecting vendors had shared. The suspects, thereafter, access the bank accounts of vendors and transfer money into another bank account, after which they use an ATM card to withdraw the money,” the CID investigations have revealed.
The Police have requested the public to refrain from sharing the confidential bank OTP issued to them, with unknown persons.
The CID investigations have revealed that the suspects have accessed over 80 bank accounts via the online financial scam.
Stating that more individuals are involved in the scam and that the CID is on the lookout for such criminals, they said that people with a lack of tech knowledge are found to have fallen victim to this racket.
The Police said the arrested suspects are aged 25-30 years and are residents of Madawachchiya and Kandy.
The public has been urged to file a complaint with their nearest Police station in the event of falling victim to such online financial scams. (NewsWire)