The Kurunegala District Deputy Inspector General’s Office has issued a warning regarding a financial scam targeting personal bank account details using the Tax Identification Number (TIN) recently introduced by Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Department.
Scammers posing as bank officers are obtaining bank details of individuals through the TIN program.
Several individuals have already reported losing large sums of money to this scam.
The scammers, impersonating state bank staff, request the money transfer code (OTP) from individuals under the guise of setting up an account linked to their TIN number.
Once obtained, the scammers access the victim’s bank account and withdraw significant amounts of money. Instances include over Rs. 200,000 stolen from a Buddhist monk’s account and Rs. 1 million from another individual.
The public is urged to be vigilant and not to fall victim to such scams. The Kurunegala District DIG’s Office has initiated a special program to raise awareness and prevent further incidents in the area.
