The Dehiwala Zoological Gardens in Sri Lanka has submitted a formal letter to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding a fake social media account misusing its name and allegedly engaged in fraudulent activities.
The letter states that the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens has been receiving multiple complaints concerning the misuse of the zoo’s name and harm caused to its credibility through a fake Facebook account operating under the name – “ශ්රී ලංකා ජාතික සත්වෝද්යානය / Dehiwala Zoo”.
It is alleged that this account has been soliciting money from users under false pretenses of offering prizes as a giveaway.
The zoo emphasized that it has no affiliation with the Facebook account in question and noted that complaints have been received indicating that the operators of the fraudulent page are claiming to host a giveaway in celebration of the zoo’s anniversary, promising various prizes to participants in exchange for money.
In response, the Director General of the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens, R.C. Rajapaksa, has formally requested the CID to investigate the matter, citing the harm being caused to the reputation and credibility of the Dehiwala National Zoo.
He further urged the CID to treat this as a matter of urgency and take appropriate legal and preventive measures to stop the financial fraud being carried out through social media in the name of the zoo.
