Police have urged public caution following a recent increase in phishing attacks targeting popular messaging app Telegram accounts.
The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has said an increasing number of cases of hacking Telegram accounts through phishing links claiming to contain photos which are usually sent with a message from an acquaintance.
According to MPS, scammers take control of a Telegram account when the user clicks on the link in the message to enter the phone number and share the OTP code.
Once the scammers take control of a Telegram account, they use the account to send phishing links to other users, MPS explained.
MPS have urged people with compromised accounts to immediately delete the Telegram application and reinstall it through the two-step verification process.
Police have advised people to disregard unknown links sent in the name of a trusted or close person, warning that such phishing links are designed to steal your Telegram account.