The Fiji Police MPaisa Task Force has charged two men and one woman in separate cases of allegedly obtaining financial advantage by deception via a mobile money transfer app.
In the first case, a 30-year-old woman from Nawaka is accused of dishonestly obtaining $470 from a member of the public. On August 15, 2023, the victim received a Viber call from an unknown number claiming they had won money and needed to send $500 to secure the winnings. The victim sent $470, the available amount in their mobile money transfer account, to the number provided by the accused. When the victim tried to contact the accused afterward, there was no response. The matter was reported, and the woman has been charged with one count of Obtaining Financial Advantage by Deception. She will be produced at the Nadi Magistrates Court today.
In another case, two men aged 20 and 24 from Narere are alleged to have obtained $300 from a member of the public on May 19, 2024, by advertising the sale of car accessories on Facebook. The victim sent the money and, when unable to contact the accused persons, reported the matter. Both men have been charged with Obtaining Financial Advantage by Deception and will appear in the Nasinu Magistrates Court today.
Additionally, the same 20-year-old man faces another charge in a separate case where he allegedly obtained $250 from a member of the public through a similar scheme. He had posted an advertisement for car accessories on Facebook and failed to deliver the goods after receiving the money transfer from the victim.