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Public Notice: The Bank of Mauritius cautions members of the public against scams and fake bank notes in circulation on social media

31 March 2023
It has come to the knowledge of the Bank of Mauritius (Bank) that its name and those of its licensees, are being associated with social media posts requesting for payments from members of the public, and that a photo of a fake bank note is in circulation on social media. A specimen of such posts is attached with this Notice.
 
The Bank hereby informs members of the public that the Bank is not associated with the said social media posts which are false and misleading, and cautions members of the public against giving money to any person who claims to represent the Bank and/or its officials or to have a banking relationship or a scheme associated with the Bank.
 
The Bank brings to the attention of members of the public that it cannot be held responsible if its name, logo and contact details are misused in schemes intended to defraud the public.
 
The Bank is endeavouring to raise public awareness on the risks associated with such scams by providing, on its website, information on those scams.
 
Should members of the public suspect that they have been scammed, the Bank strongly recommends that they report the matter to the Police. The public is also encouraged to bring to the Bank’s attention any such information by sending an email to scam-alert@bom.mu or using the Fraud/Scam Reporting form at https://www.bom.mu/financial-stability/supervision/reporting-financial-c... or calling on the hotline for Fraud/Scam Reporting +230 206 5677.
 
Members of the public are also requested to exercise caution when handling bank notes, which appear to have been tampered with in any manner. Information about bank notes issued by the Bank and their security features may be accessed at https://www.bom.mu/bank-notes-coins/bank-notes/polymer-notes/frequently-... and https://www.bom.mu/sites/default/files/poster_polymer.pdf
 
The Bank reminds members of the public that it is an offence under the Bank of Mauritius Act for any person to forge, counterfeit or alter a currency note or any part thereof. Except for educational or informational purposes, it is also an offence to reproduce, in any size, scale or colour, use any photograph of, or any drawing or design resembling, any Mauritius currency note or bank note without the written permission of the Bank.
 
Should any member of the public have any doubts about the authenticity of an email, letter, social media post or telephone communication purportedly from, for, or on behalf of the Bank and/or its officials, please call on 202 3800 or send an email on communications@bom.mu before taking any further action.