couple charged for scam

The Fiji Police Force (FPF) Mpaisa Taskforce Team has arrested and jointly charged a Labasa couple yesterday for dishonestly obtaining money through deception.

The couple are being charged for 4 counts of Unauthorised Access, 4 Counts of Identity Theft and 4 counts of Obtaning Financial Advantage by deception (OFABD) and one count of Proceeds of Crime (POC).

It is alleged that the 30-year-old businessman of Delailabasa and his 27-year-old wife dishonestly obtained $730.00 from the four victims through the mpaisa platform.

The alleged incident took place between September 2023 and December 2024. Police investigation revealed that the couple were calling prominent people and intentionally logging in to their Viber accounts.

The couple will call them on a normal call stating that their number was mistakenly given to a Japanese’s Car Dealer.

They also pretended to be a Police Officer informing the victims that their number are been monitored, requesting the international phone number that had called them.

The international number requested by the couple is the Viber activation code.

Once the couple accessed the viber accounts of prominent people, they called and asked for money from the vulnerable people in the contact list.

The matter was reported at Totogo Police station. Both accused are in Police custody and will be produced at Labasa Magistrate Court today.