Two men and two women are set to appear in the Labasa Magistrates Court today, following charges brought by the Fiji Police MPaisa Taskforce for obtaining financial advantage through deception.
In the first case, two men, aged 45 and 27, are accused of collaborating on August 18 last year to defraud a victim out of $790 by hacking into a Viber account belonging to the victim’s friend. The victim received a message requesting the money for urgent needs and, unaware that the friend’s account had been compromised, sent the funds. After the 27-year-old withdrew the money, he reportedly gave $310 to the other man, retaining $480 for himself. The victim only realized the scam after contacting his friend, who confirmed that no such request had been made.
In the second case, a 29-year-old woman allegedly fraudulently obtained $548 from another victim in March 2023. Upon discovering the unauthorized transfer, the victim filed a report at the Nakasi Police Station.
The third case involves a 43-year-old woman who is accused of deceitfully securing $40 from a victim in December last year. The victim was led to provide her personal information and a One Time Pin (OTP) for an investment opportunity offered by the woman, who then allegedly used the OTP to withdraw the funds.
All five individuals face a charge of obtaining financial advantage by deception.