Two men and two women will appear in the Labasa Magistrates Court today after being charged by the Fiji Police MPaisa Taskforce for obtaining financial advantages through deception.
The first case involves two men, aged 45 and 27, who are accused of collaborating on August 18 of last year to scam a victim out of $790 by hacking the Viber account of the victim’s friend. The victim received a message requesting the money for urgent needs and unknowingly sent it, believing it was a genuine request. After receiving the funds, the 27-year-old withdrew the money and distributed it, giving $310 to the first accused and keeping $480 for himself. The victim realized he had been scammed when he contacted his friend, who confirmed they had never asked for money.
In a second case, a 29-year-old woman is alleged to have fraudulently obtained $548 from a victim in March 2023. Once the victim realized the transfer had occurred, they reported the incident to the Nakasi Police Station.
In a related third case, a 43-year-old woman allegedly obtained $40 from another victim in December last year after the victim provided her personal information and a One Time Pin for an investment opportunity offered by the accused. The accused allegedly used the One Time Pin to withdraw the funds.
All four individuals have been charged with one count of obtaining a financial advantage by deception.