Two men and two women are scheduled to appear at the Labasa Magistrates Court today after being charged by the Fiji Police MPaisa Taskforce with obtaining financial advantage through deception.
The first case involves two men aged 45 and 27, who are accused of collaborating 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 that urged him to send the money for urgent needs, leading him to unwittingly transfer the funds, unaware that the friend’s account had been compromised. After the transaction, the 27-year-old withdrew the funds and then provided the first accused with $310, keeping $480 for himself. The victim realized the scam when he checked with his friend, who confirmed they had not requested any money.
In the second case, a 29-year-old woman is allegedly involved in a fraudulent transaction that occurred in March 2023, in which she dishonestly acquired $548 from a victim. After noticing the unauthorized transfer, the victim reported the incident to the Nakasi Police Station.
The third case features a 43-year-old woman accused of obtaining $40 from a victim in December of last year. The victim had shared her personal information and One Time Pin in response to a promised investment opportunity from the accused, who then used the OTP to withdraw the funds without permission.
All five individuals have been charged with one count of obtaining financial advantage by deception.