Shania Shayal Prasad 
There have been an increasing number of online scams recorded in Fiji, with consumers losing thousands of dollars.
Since January of this year, the Consumer Council of Fiji has received 101 complaints relating to online platforms, such as scams.
Council Chief Executive Seema Shandil says they are now increasing its social media alerts and releasing the names of scammers online to further caution consumers.
She states that apart from dealing with the local scammers, there have also been a lot of instances where scammers based in overseas countries target consumers in Fiji.
“The sheer number of complaints registered is just the tip of the iceberg as in most cases consumers do not report being scammed or report it to other agencies. Hence, the real situation on the ground could be far worse with consumers being scammed on a daily basis.”
Shandil says there might be a lot more unreported cases.
“And there may be so many that they are so passive that they don’t want speak up.”
The Council is also visiting communities, schools and conducting workshops in order to educate consumers to make informed decisions.
