The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission welcomes the cabinet’s recent approval for the review of laws on fraud and scam protection.

The aim of the review, which will be undertaken with the support of the United Nations Capital Development Fund, is to help ensure that there are adequate protections in place to address the growing threats of cybercrime and fraud, which continues to have an impact on consumers, businesses, and the economy as a whole.

FCCC Chief Executive, Joel Abraham, highlighted the need for stronger legal frameworks in the fight against scams and fraud.

He says they have been pushing for stronger scam and fraud protection laws for quite some time.

Abraham adds that as scams grow more complex in nature and become more frequent, there is a need for laws that are flexible and responsive, and able to adapt to these new threats.

The FCCC CEO says some areas of focus that they will like to see include legal mandates for telecommunication and digital platforms to stop scammers from contacting consumers, and integration of consumer education into school curriculums.

He says establishing legal mechanisms for the recovery of payments in cases where service providers are proven negligent is also very important to them.

He says they are also looking into reassessing the legal obligations of banks, telecommunications providers, and eWallet platforms to enhance protections, especially in light of recent scams like the eBayshop Online scam.