The commission stated that complaints have been received regarding fake messages being disseminated via social media, claiming that the President is offering a financial aid of LKR 50,000 to low-income families.

Accordingly, Ms. Menaka Pathirana, Director of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, urged individuals to avoid sharing their personal details in response to these messages.

“The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission has been receiving a significant number of complaints regarding fraudulent messages. Messages falsely claiming that the President is granting LKR 50,000 to impoverished families are spreading rapidly across social media platforms. We urge the public to avoid engaging with these links. Measures have already been taken to block such links. These are fraudulent links. If you provide your personal information through these links, it could lead to unauthorized access to your bank accounts, email accounts, or other private systems, causing significant issues. Therefore, we request the public not to share their personal information,” stated Ms. Menaka Pathirana.