The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission is taking precautions to protect consumer rights in the Western Division.

The FCCC has activated its Business Continuity Plan in the division.

Chief Executive Joel Abraham is urging businesses to be ethical in their dealings with consumers.

Abraham says they do not want to see a repeat of what happened last year, after the announcement of COVID-19 arriving in Fiji.

He says there was a surge of panic buying almost immediately and consumers bought more than what they needed and eventually tried to return some of the items in an effort to get their money back.

He adds in the past, traders have also resorted to taking advantage of vulnerable Fijians and engaged in unscrupulous behavior such as price gouging.

Abraham is encouraging Fijians to have an emergency plan in place for themselves and their families.