Senior Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola stated that several cases of online fraud had already been reported in the first two months of 2026. He emphasized that the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations could see a surge in malicious campaigns disguised as discounts, gifts, or special promotions.
“These links often redirect users to fraudulent websites designed to steal personal information and sensitive data,” Damunupola explained. He also highlighted that during religious festivals such as Vesak and Poson, scammers have used deceptive campaigns under names like ‘Poson Maha Data Dansala’ to trick users.
CERT urged the public to exercise caution when accessing online advertisements or clicking links from unknown or unverified sources to avoid falling victim to cyber fraud.
