The Sri Lanka Police have issued a public advisory warning of a surge in financial scams carried out via social media platforms by fraudsters impersonating Police officers with stolen or fabricated photographs and fake online profiles.

The Police said numerous complaints continue to be received despite arrests and repeated awareness campaigns. 

Current investigations reveal criminals are creating fake WhatsApp, Telegram, and other accounts falsely claiming to represent the Police or government institutions.

The Sri Lanka Police urge the public to remain vigilant and pay close attention to the following fraudulent tactics:

• Fake calls from individuals posing as officers of the Central Bank, CID, or other units.
• False claims that National Identity Cards have been misused, fraudulent accounts opened, or bank accounts linked to money laundering.
• Threats of legal action while sending forged police IDs, documents, or badges via WhatsApp/social media.
• Requests for confidential data such as OTPs, passwords, or banking credentials under the guise of verification.
• Pressure to transfer funds to unfamiliar accounts or cryptocurrency wallets (including USDT).

The Sri Lanka Police advise the public to observe the following precautions to protecting personal and financial information:

• Never share sensitive data: No institution will request NIC, bank details, card numbers, CVV, PIN, or OTP via phone or social media.
• Do not transfer money based on threats of frozen accounts or blocked cards.
• Verify with your bank using official contact numbers before sending funds.
• Police and Central Bank protocols: Investigations are not conducted via personal WhatsApp accounts or personal bank deposits.
• Check authenticity: Documents or IDs sent via social media may be forged — report immediately.
• Avoid suspicious links, downloads, or QR codes from unknown sources.

The public are urged to reporting such scams. Victims or those receiving suspicious calls/messages are urged to report immediately:

• Computer Crime Investigation Division – Supervisory Officer: 071 8592918
• Investigation Officer: 071 8591765
• Division Office: 011 2300756

Complaints may also be lodged in person at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). (Newswire)

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A 28‑year‑old woman from Gampaha has been arrested for allegedly luring victims into an online business scheme using a brand name, in a financial fraud amounting to Rs. 426,300.

She was taken into custody yesterday (08) by the North Western Province Sub‑Unit of the Computer Crimes Investigation Division.

Police said Rs. 186,500 of the defrauded amount had been credited to her account. 

The arrest followed a complaint lodged with the Computer Crimes Investigation Division, which subsequently launched a probe into the incident. Further investigations are underway. (Newswire)

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Two suspects connected to a financial fraud in Kilinochchi have been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The arrest was made in connection with the misappropriation of raw materials valued at nearly Rs. 50 million from a private factory located within the Kilinochchi Police Division between March 18, 2024, and May 29, 2025.

The suspects taken into custody are residents of the Mawanella and Getaheththa areas, aged 27 and 36.

They are scheduled to be produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court today (13 Jan), while further investigations are being carried out by the CID. (Newswire)

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The Sri Lanka Police has warned the public of unauthorized access to WhatsApp accounts for financial fraud.

According to the Police, the Criminal Investigation Department  (CID) has observed a rise in incidents where fraudsters are using the WhatsApp platform to send fake messages and links, thereby gaining unauthorized access to users’ WhatsApp accounts and committing financial fraud.

In these cases, fraudsters obtain the WhatsApp OTP (One-Time Password) from the user and take control of the account. Subsequently, they use the compromised account to send fake messages to the user’s contacts, further perpetuating the fraud. This has led to significant financial losses for victims.

Advising the public to remain vigilant about such fraudulent activities and take necessary precautions, the Police further requested that they never share their OTP with anyone, as this could lead to unauthorized access to their accounts. (Newswire)

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Three female officers of a state bank have been arrested for defrauding a sum of Rs. 99.3 million.

According to reports, the arrests have been made based on investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department. 

The Police state the suspects, who worked in the pawning section of the relevant bank, had pawned fake gold items pretending to be 24-carat gold and had taken the money.

The Police further stated that one suspect involved in the incident has already left abroad.

Police investigations have been launched into several other bank officials involved in the racket. (Newswire)

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The Colombo Fraud Investigations Bureau has arrested a 54-year-old Chinese woman over two complaints of financial fraud. 

The Police say the woman had defrauded Rs. 1.5 million promising to provide tourist visas to Australia and Rs. 1.916 million promising to provide US Dollars. 

The woman was arrested yesterday, based on the two complaints received by the Colombo Fraud Investigations Bureau. 

The Fort Magistrate’s Court remanded the woman until 11 June after she was produced in court following her arrest. 

The Colombo Fraud Investigations Bureau is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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The Former Secretary and the former Planning Director of the Provincial Road Development Ministry of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council have been arrested over investigations into a financial fraud of Rs. 71,645,226.32.

The suspects, a 62-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman, both residents of Ratnapura, were arrested on Monday by the Police Financial, Commercial Crimes Investigation Division. 

They have been arrested on charges of signing documents for the release of vouchers related to 77 projects of the Embilipitiya Pradeshiya Sabha for the years 2016 and 2017. 

The suspects have been remanded until 08 May after being produced before the Embilipitiya Magistrate’s Court yesterday. (Newswire)

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Officials from the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) have arrested a 51-year-old Colombo resident for defrauding Rs. 65 million.

According to the Police, the man, a resident of Colombo 05, had obtained the money on two occasions for business activities.

Investigations reveal that the man had returned Rs. 30,200,000, but had absconded without returning the balance of Rs. 34,800,000.

The CCD is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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Three suspects have been remanded for defrauding over Rs. 05 million from cancer patients through online and mobile fraud. 

According to the Police, the suspects have reached out to cancer patients via phone, claiming to assist with collecting donations for treatment and had obtained their personal details, including bank accounts.

They had then created fake National Identity Cards (NIC) using the details of the cancer patients and had also obtained new SIM cards from mobile operators, claiming that the previous number had been lost. 

After receiving SIM cards with the same numbers as the cancer patients, they are reported to have accessed their bank accounts and stolen money, amounting to more than Rs. 5 million.

Following several complaints in this regard, Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officials arrested a man and two women regarding the fraud.

The suspects were produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday and have been remanded.  

The public, especially cancer patients, has been warned of such online and mobile fraud, with authorities urging not to share personal information with unknown persons. (Newswire) 

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Former Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration Priyantha Mayadunne, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today in connection to corruption allegations, has been granted bail.

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered the former Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration to be released on a surety of Rs. 200,000.

Following Priyantha Mayadunne’s arrest, Police Spokesman SSP Buddhika Manathunga said he was arrested over a financial fraud committed in 2011.

SSP Buddhika Manathunga further said that Priyantha Mayadunne was arrested over an investigation related to spending Rs.183 million from the state funds for an event held in Kurunegala to mark International Co-Operative Day.

CID officials arrested Priyantha Mayadunne in Piliyandala today and presented him before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. (Newswire)

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A 28-year-old man who had defrauded money by fraudulently accessing a Facebook account has been apprehended by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) at the Katunayake Airport.

The Police said a complaint was received in 2024 that the suspect had posed as a relative, gaining access to the victim’s Facebook account, after which he had defrauded a total of Rs. 700,000 on three occasions from the victim’s bank account.

An inspection of the affected bank account found that the suspect was residing in Qatar.

After having received a notice from the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the suspect was arrested upon his return to Sri Lanka yesterday.

The Colombo Crimes Division is conducting further investigations into the incident. (Newswire)

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The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) has warned the public not to be deceived by text messages (SMS) and phone calls to mobile phones claiming to grant money.

SLCERT’s Senior Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola said information has been received about people making fake phone calls and defrauding money.

“These days, you may receive fake messages on your mobile phone. These fake messages may claim that you have won gifts and money. Various discounts, work-from-home opportunities, foreign jobs etc. can also be sent to you,” he said. 

Charuka Damunupola further urged the public to be careful and refrain from sharing personal information through such messages. (Newswire)

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A youth who had defrauded money via WhatsApp by posing as a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) has been arrested and remanded until 09 January 2025.

The suspect who had financially defrauded several persons, including businessmen, was arrested by officials from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). 

The suspect, a resident of Borella, had utilised the name and image of a DIG to send messages via WhatsApp to various persons, financially defrauding them.

Investigations have revealed that the youth had called businessmen claiming to be a DIG and had defrauded money from them by threatening to initiate legal action over false complaints against them.  

The arrested youth has been remanded until 09 January 2025 after being produced in court. (Newswire)

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Former Parliamentarian Kulasingam Dhileeban has been arrested on allegations of financial fraud.

It is reported that he has been arrested for financial fraud related to a land deal. 

The former Vanni District MP was arrested by officials from the Vavuniya Special Crimes Division. (Newswire)

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A 22-year-old youth has been arrested for defrauding over Rs. 500,000 from a man through a financial scam via social media.

The Police Computer Crime Investigation Division of the North Western Province had launched a probe based on a complaint received in this regard.

The suspect, a resident of Digana, was arrested yesterday. 

The youth had claimed the victim could earn money through social media and had made the victim deposit money into his account. 

The Police Computer Crime Investigation Division of the North Western Province is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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The services of 22 cashiers at the Athurugiriya Interchange have been suspended due to financial fraud amounting to millions of Rupees, according to the Road Development Authority (RDA). 

According to media reports, RDA Director General Engineer Priyantha Suriyabandara said the financial fraud has taken place at the Athurugiriya Interchange located on the Outer Circular Expressway. 

The services of the cashiers at the Athurugiriya Interchange have been suspended by the Deputy Director General of the RDA on the directive of the RDA Director General. 

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the large-scale financial fraud is said to have been initially carried out by taking advantage of the electricity crisis faced in Sri Lanka in 2020.

Investigations reveal that the financial fraud later continued to be carried out by disconnecting the power supply or by sneakily removing the power supply wire. 

The cashiers are said to have suspended power so that CCTV cameras do not function and had received payments from motorists passing through the interchange, which they had taken for themselves.

It has been found that out of the 27 cashiers employed at the Athurugiriya Interchange 22 had engaged in the said financial fraud.

Investigations have found that the continuous malfunction of CCTV cameras in late January this year had resulted in a financial fraud of nearly Rs. 2 million. (Newswire)

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Two individuals engaged in financial fraud by creating fake National Identity Cards (NIC) using photographs shared on social media have been arrested by the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Sri Lanka Police. 

Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said the suspects were found to have created fake documents to open accounts at private banks and to also obtain loans using the false information.

The suspects had defrauded the public and deposited money into the bank accounts opened using fake documents.

They had used information and images from social media to create fake National Identity Cards (NIC) and Driving Licences, among other documents, he told the media.

DIG Thalduwa further said that the suspects were arrested based on a complaint filed by an individual whose email and WhatsApp accounts had been hacked by the suspects to defraud him.

One suspect, who is a university graduate with knowledge related to computers, was found to have created the fake documents.

The Police seized 28 fake NICs, 32 fake driving licences, 3 mobile phones, 5 fake temporary driving licences, 18 SIM cards, and a computer from the suspect’s possession.

The chief suspect is a 35-year-old resident of Webada, Gampaha, while the other suspect is a 27-year-old also from Gampaha. 

The Police Spokesman said the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department is investigating the matter. (NewsWire)

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The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has uncovered information about a racket where suspects are found to be stealing money donated to the bank accounts of cancer patients.

Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis was informed that a racket was being carried out across the country to fraudulently obtain the money, donated by the people to the bank accounts of cancer patients, from those banks.

The racket was uncovered after a complaint was filed by a cancer patient from the Kaduwela area, who claimed that Rs. 3.8 million that had been donated to his account in a state bank had been fraudulently acquired by unidentified persons. 

Investigations revealed that fraudsters, who respond to requests made online by cancer patients asking for money, have claimed that they will collect financial benefits for those cancer patients and have obtained the bank account numbers, national identity card numbers, and telephone numbers of those patients.

The CID further informed the court that one suspect involved in the financial fraud linked to the Kaduwela cancer patient has been identified and that steps are being taken to apprehend him. (NewsWire)

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A 54-year-old man has been arrested for swindling Rs. 9.9 billion by operating a financial institution without a Central Bank licence in Kandy.

The Police stated that the suspect was arrested by officers from the Financial and Commercial Crimes Investigation Division in the View Garden area in Kandy on Thursday (Oct 26).

The suspect had served as the director and the shareholder of the illegal financial institution and now faces serious charges including criminal misappropriation of funds, money laundering, and breach of trust.

The Police said the man was a resident of the View Garden area in Kandy.

The Financial and Commercial Crimes Investigation Division is conducting investigations into the financial fraud. (NewsWire)

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Police investigations have revealed that several more complaints have been filed against the suspect who was arrested for defrauding over Rs. 6 million from three individuals by promising to clear vehicles at the Hambantota Port.

According to the Police, the suspect had defrauded Rs. 6,271,000 from a woman and two men by promising to clear four vehicles at the Hambantota Port.

The suspect is reported to have received a sum of Rs. 3,911,000 from one victim for a Toyota Axio vehicle, Rs. 1,000,000 from another man promising two Toyota Axios, and Rs. 1,360,000 from the woman promising a Wagon R vehicle.

The Police stated that the suspect was apprehended following complaints filed by the three victims at the Colombo Financial Crimes Investigation Division.

Several more complaints have been filed at various other Police stations against the suspect, who is a 36-year-old resident of Arukgoda, Alubomulla. 

The suspect will be produced before the Hulftsdorp Magistrate’s Court today. The Colombo Financial Crimes Investigation Division is conducting further investigations. (NewsWire)

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