Ritika Pratap 
Consumer Council of Fiji Chief Executive, Seema Shandil
The Consumer Council of Fiji has raised a red flag about the growing menace of scams impacting the public.
Chief Executive, Seema Shandil while expressing her concerns, reveals that in the past three years, the Council has received a staggering 1,555 reports related to scams.
She adds these fraudulent schemes have caused consumers to lose thousands of dollars.
Shandil emphasizes that these reported cases are only the visible part of the problem, as many victims might not be assertive enough to report such incidents.
“These figures actually reflect a wide range of scams and these range from employment scam, online shopping platform, impersonator scam which is currently really on the rise in Fiji, lottery scams, also e-mobile wallet scams, and astrology scams which are some glaring examples.”
Shandil adds this illustrates the multi-faceted nature of the fraudulent activities plaguing our consumers.
She stresses that scammers are coming up with innovative ideas and more devious ways to dupe the vulnerable people.
The council is now working to raise awareness and empower consumers to protect themselves from scams.
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