The MPaisa Task Force of the Fiji Police has brought charges against two individuals for obtaining financial advantage through deception using a mobile money transfer app.
The first report implicates a 42-year-old woman from Natabua in Lautoka, who allegedly scammed a citizen out of $200. The police claim she sent a fraudulent text message to the victim, indicating they had received the said sum. Afterward, she requested the victim to return the supposedly erroneously-sent money, which they did. However, upon checking their balance, the victim realized no initial transaction had taken place. The suspect is said to have withdrawn the $200 at a supermarket in Lautoka and will appear in the Lautoka Magistrates Court today.
In the second incident, a 32-year-old man from Lautoka allegedly deceived a citizen into sending him $730, claiming to be a supermarket employee. He reportedly asked the victim to select goods, received payment, but failed to deliver the items. He has been charged with Obtaining Financial Advantage by Deception and is scheduled to appear in the Lautoka Magistrates Court today.