[File Photo]

A 28-year-old woman from Labasa has been charged with allegedly dishonestly obtaining money from a member of the public through a mobile money transfer app.

The accused is alleged to have hacked a Viber account belonging to the victim’s friend and asked for $230 on October 12th last year.

Police say the victim, who resides in Lautoka, sent the money and only discovered he was scammed after enquiring with his friend if he had received the money.

The accused was charged with one count of obtaining financial advantage by deception and will be appearing at the Labasa Magistrates Court today.

In another case, a 28-year-old man residing in Davuilevu, Nausori, has also been charged with one count of obtaining financial advantage by deception for allegedly dishonestly obtaining $500 from another person.

The accused had posted a fake car rental service advertisement on Facebook, whereby the victim sent $500 to rent a car.

After receiving the money through the mobile money platform, the accused allegedly switched off his mobile phone.