Yesterday, two men appeared in the Lautoka Magistrates Court on charges related to allegedly dishonestly obtaining over $5000 through a mobile money transfer app. The accused, aged 57 and 40, each face one count of false or misleading documents and six counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception.
An investigation by the Fiji Police MPaisa task force revealed that on August 12, 2023, the 40-year-old accused hired a taxi driven by the victim and introduced himself as a law enforcement officer. He claimed he was selling a taxi permit, which interested the victim since he was driving a taxi for someone else. Two days later, the 40-year-old arranged a meeting with the victim.
Upon meeting at the agreed location, the two men boarded the victim’s taxi and drove to an internet shop. There, the second accused returned with documents, presenting them as an agreement and requesting a payment of $1,130 for the permit transfer, which the victim sent via MPaisa. Subsequently, the victim made additional payments totaling $5,797 for various requirements including permit renewal and fitness and compliance certificates. However, the accused failed to provide the taxi permit as agreed.
The duo faced the court yesterday to answer to these charges.