• 150–200 complaints monthly, numbers expected to rise next month

With the festive season approaching, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has urged the public to exercise caution when using social media, responding to messages, or answering calls from unknown parties seeking personal information, passwords, or one-time passwords (OTPs), warning of a spike in scam attempts during this period.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (29), TRCSL Lead Information Security Engineer Sharuka Dhamunupola said that recent incidents include attempts by scammers to obtain credit card details from unsuspecting individuals.

He noted that fraudsters often pose as representatives of banks or airlines, and may attempt to sell products via social media platforms by offering unusually high discounts. Dhamunupola advised the public not to panic, but to verify such communications by contacting the relevant bank or airline through official channels, or to inform the Police if the interaction appears suspicious.

Dhamunupola further revealed the TRCSL receives between 150 and 200 complaints related to such scams each month, and warned that the number is likely to increase in the coming weeks with the festive season. These include internet-based scams, romance scams, parcel scams, and fake investment schemes.

He cautioned that many of these scams are linked to malicious or fake websites used for phishing, which often replicate logos and designs of legitimate institutions to mislead users.

Dhamunupola also noted that while the TRCSL is able to provide technical support in addressing such incidents, legal action must be pursued by the Police.