An FBI team did not come to Sri Lanka to investigate the $2.5 million hack.

Media reports stating that a special team from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrived in the island to investigate an incident involving the theft of funds belonging to the Sri Lanka Treasury through a cyber attack have been officially denied by the US Embassy in Colombo. The Daily Mirror newspaper was the first to report that an FBI team would be coming to Sri Lanka, stating 'senior officer told the Daily Mirror' in their report.

However, even though an FBI team did not come to Sri Lanka, the embassy has coordinated with FBI representatives regarding this incident.

The embassy, issuing a statement, points out that no such special team has been deployed to Sri Lanka to assist with the relevant investigations, and that reports to that effect are completely false. However, the embassy states that it is standard procedure for US embassies in many countries to retain an FBI Legal Attaché to cooperate with law enforcement agencies when requested by host country authorities, and emphasizes that the accuracy of information is extremely important when reporting on sensitive security and investigative matters such as these.

This controversial incident is based on a massive financial fraud committed by unauthorized access to the official email accounts of the External Resources Department (ERD). It has been revealed that hackers diverted $2.5 million from a bilateral loan payment of $22.9 million due to Australia, and another $625,000 due to US postal authorities, to other accounts by altering the payments midway.

Investigations have further revealed that four out of six payment vouchers prepared to be sent to Australian authorities were seized by these cybercriminals. A third-party company named "Biz Solutions," registered in Delaware, USA, which provides online business registration services, was used for these money transfers, and it is also reported that the final transaction vouchers were linked to accounts in another US state with strict banking regulations.

Currently, several rounds of extensive discussions regarding this incident have been held at the embassy premises between officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and FBI representatives from the US Embassy. Although the exact accounts where the stolen funds were finally deposited have not yet been definitively confirmed, US authorities have agreed to provide the necessary technical tools and full cooperation for this investigation, as well as to take strict legal action against any suspects involved in the incident if they are located within the United States.