Lithuanian Consulate Condemns Crypto Scams Exploiting Sri Lankans

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Lithuanian Consulate to Sri Lanka has expressed deep concern over recent reports of fraudulent cryptocurrency advertisements circulating on social media platforms.

These deceptive campaigns falsely feature Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and other prominent public figures, and are operated by foreign entities with the intent of misleading Sri Lankan citizens.

These deceptive campaigns, identified by the Prime Minister’s Office of Sri Lanka, are being operated by foreign entities with the intent of misleading Sri Lankan citizens, said the consulate adding that these fraudulent  advertisements originate from accounts allegedly linked to Lithuania.

This raises concerns about their transnational nature and the exploitation of digital platforms for financial scams.

In response to these developments, the Lithuanian Consulate to Sri Lanka has taken immediate steps to address the issue:

1. Engaged with the Embassy of Lithuania to officially convey the concerns raised by Sri Lankan authorities and seek their guidance.

2. Requested formal clarification from relevant Lithuanian authorities regarding the alleged connections to fraudulent activities.

3. Communicated with Sri Lankan government agencies to express the Consulate’s readiness to cooperate in any investigations.

4. Called for enhanced international cooperation between Sri Lankan and Lithuanian authorities to identify and mitigate the fraudulent activities.

5. Urged social media platforms, particularly Meta (Facebook’s parent company), to take stronger measures in preventing the spread of fraudulent advertisements.

"The Lithuanian Consulate to Sri Lanka strongly condemns any fraudulent activities that seek to exploit the trust of Sri Lankan citizens. Upon receiving reports of these deceptive cryptocurrency advertisements, we acted swiftly to bring the matter to the attention of the Lithuanian Embassy and relevant authorities. The Consulate remains fully committed to supporting efforts that protect Sri Lankan and Lithuanian interests and will continue to work towards enhanced collaboration between regulatory and enforcement agencies. We also urge digital platforms to take decisive action against fraudulent content to prevent further exploitation of their users," said Kanchana Kodituwakku, Director of the Lithuanian Consulate to Sri Lanka.

The Lithuanian Consulate to Sri Lanka will continue to monitor developments and provide necessary updates in coordination with Sri Lankan and Lithuanian authorities.

On Tuesday (11), Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya strongly condemned the fraudulent cryptocurrency scam ads currently circulating on Facebook and Instagram, falsely using her name and image, along with those of other public figures in Sri Lanka.

In a post of facebook, she said that these misleading advertisements, operated by foreign scam networks, aim to deceive the public and exploit trust.

Despite requests for immediate action, some of these advertisements continue to appear, targeting Sri Lankan social media users.

She stressed that NO government official, including herself, has endorsed any cryptocurrency investment scheme.