Police recovered more than MVR 381,000 lost to scams over the past week, accounting for nearly all of the money reported stolen during the period.
Statistics released by the Maldives Police Service show that 41 scam cases were reported between September 27 and October 3, with victims reporting combined losses of MVR 386,611.68.
Of that amount, authorities were able to recover MVR 381,503, equivalent to approximately 98.7 percent of the reported losses.
The figures come as authorities step up efforts to tackle financial scams, which have increasingly moved across social media, online marketplaces and messaging platforms.
According to police, scammers used a wide range of channels during the week, including online messaging applications, iBay, TikTok, Facebook Marketplace, phone calls and phishing links.
Currency exchange scams accounted for the largest number of reports, with police recording 16 cases.
Another 14 cases involved e-commerce scams, while five investment-related scams were reported. Police also recorded one case under other scam categories.
Authorities have repeatedly stressed that recovering stolen money often depends on how quickly a victim reports a fraudulent transaction, as early intervention can provide banks and investigators with a better opportunity to trace or prevent the movement of funds.
Police said the Maldives has made significant progress in recovering money lost through scams, while efforts remain underway to reduce the number of people falling victim to fraudulent schemes in the first place.
At the same time, authorities are warning that scam tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated as criminals take advantage of new technologies.
The Anti-Scam Centre has specifically cautioned the public about artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, warning that AI is emerging as another tool that can be exploited by scammers.
Deepfake technology can be used to create convincing manipulated audio, images or videos that appear to show a real person speaking or behaving in ways they never did. Such technology can make fraudulent messages or impersonation attempts more difficult for the public to immediately identify as fake.
The warning adds another layer to increasingly varied scam tactics, which range from fraudulent investment opportunities and online sales to fake currency exchange deals and phishing attempts designed to obtain banking credentials.
Police have urged members of the public to treat unexpected links and requests for financial information with caution.
Authorities have also reiterated that confidential information, particularly one-time passwords or OTPs, should never be shared with another person.
Anyone who believes they have fallen victim to a scam has been urged to contact police immediately through the Anti-Scam Centre hotline at 125.
The latest figures underline both sides of the challenge facing authorities: while a substantial proportion of the money reported stolen during the week was successfully recovered, dozens of new scam cases continued to be reported across multiple online platforms.
