Two men and two women are set to appear in the Labasa Magistrates Court today after being charged by the Fiji Police MPaisa Taskforce for obtaining financial advantage through deception.
The first case involves two men aged 45 and 27, who are accused of conspiring on August 18th of last year to defraud a victim of $790 by hacking into the Viber account of the victim’s friend. The victim received a message requesting the money for urgent needs and, believing it to be legitimate, sent the amount without realizing the account had been compromised. After receiving the funds, the younger suspect withdrew $790, giving $310 to his accomplice while keeping $480 for himself. The scam was uncovered when the victim checked with his friend, who confirmed he never solicited the money.
In a separate incident, a 29-year-old woman is accused of dishonestly obtaining $548 from a victim in March 2023. The victim realized the transfer had occurred and promptly reported the matter to the Nakasi Police Station.
Additionally, a 43-year-old woman is charged with obtaining $40 from another victim in December last year. The victim provided her personal information and One Time Pin (OTP) for a purported investment opportunity, which the accused allegedly misused to withdraw the funds.
All four defendants have been charged with one count of obtaining financial advantage by deception.