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Scams in Fiji have escalated into a national security threat, Communications Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica has warned.

He states the schemes undermine institutions, move illicit funds, exploit women and children and destabilize businesses.

In the past year, the Consumer Council of Fiji received 113 formal complaints, though the true number is likely much higher.

To combat the threat, the government is overhauling the legal framework.

Kamikamica said amendments to the Online Safety Act 2018, Cybersecurity Act 2021 and Crimes Act would expand the Online Safety Commission’s powers, speed up electronic evidence collection, strengthen cooperation with international law enforcement and impose harsher penalties for cybercrime.

“They come disguised as legitimate services. They use AI-generated voices, deepfake videos, fake business pages, false grant offers, romance bait, job fraud, investment traps.They target the elderly and the vulnerable. They exploit MSMEs. They harvest the data of our children.”

Fiji recently signed the UN Convention Against Cybercrime and the second protocol to the Budapest Convention, becoming the first Pacific country and 50th globally to do so.

New measures include the Consumer Council Protection Bill, which addresses digital fraud, scam liability and restitution and a national scam reporting and analytics platform launching early next year to centralize complaints and enable real-time enforcement.

A Telecom Code of Practice is also being developed with the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji and service providers to enforce verified sender protocols, lifecycle controls and real-time scam content takedowns.

Kamikamica states operational links between the Consumer Council, Online Safety Commission, FTCC, police and Cybercrime Unit are being strengthened to ensure victims see results.

Training is being rolled out to civil servants, MSMEs, and communities through schools, radio, social media, faith networks and women’s platforms.

Consumer Council CEO Seema Shandil states scams are becoming more sophisticated, using AI, deepfakes and impersonation of trusted authorities, putting even digitally literate professionals at risk.

She cited recent cases including a public servant losing $34,000 to scammers posing as police, an elderly couple losing their retirement fund and a family losing nearly $4,000 to a fake holiday booking.

“The impact of scams is not just aligned with the financial report.The impact is financial, emotional, and deeply personal. The money lost is irreplaceable. But what is also stolen here is a sense of security, the trust in technology, and the dignity.”

Shandil noted the first-ever scam prevention training for public servants aims to create frontline defenders.

Fiji will hold its first national scam awareness march tomorrow led by police to send a strong message that scams are a serious threat.

Shandil urged communities to share knowledge, warn elders, teach children and follow Stop, Think and Verify.

Scam Awareness Week underlines vigilance, education and proactive prevention as Fiji’s strongest defense against digital fraud.

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