The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission strongly condemns the use of any deceptive artificial intelligence tools used to manipulate public trust.

Chief Executive Senikavika Jiuta’s comments come after the circulation of two deceptive scam videos currently circulating online.

She says scammers utilize deepfake technology to impersonate legitimate media or businesses and are part of an increasing trend of AI-generated fraud targeting consumers.

FCCC Chief Executive Senikavika Jiuta. [Photo Credit: Supplied]

The first video, which surfaced, falsely portrays a Fiji Television news presenter and promotes a fraudulent financial investment platform, misusing logos and branding associated with both the Reserve Bank of Fiji and Fiji One News.

Jiuta says FCCC is also aware of another video circulating on the TikTok platform, where scammers are advertising a prepaid Mastercard that has supposedly arrived in Fiji.

She says this scam claims a monthly subscription charge of $9.95 from your local MPAISA Mastercard, promising a return of close to USD $2000-$4000.

The scheme involves users joining with an account that only allows withdrawals, initially requiring a $49.95 business joining fee, converted from the current currency of the user’s country.

The FCCC CEO says such scams involve tricking victims into purchasing prepaid cards and sharing card details or codes, often under the guise of urgent payments or requests for financial assistance.

These scams frequently begin with unsolicited contact via calls, texts, or emails, creating a sense of urgency or panic to pressure victims into making hasty decisions.

She says the proliferation of such scams is very worrying.

She adds that with the addition of AI-assisted scams, all Fijians, not just the vulnerable such as the elderly or those who are not tech-savvy, are equally likely to be fooled.

She is urging all Fijians to be cautious and to avoid engaging with or sharing such content.

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