Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC) CEO Joel Abraham says Cabinet’s recent
approval for the review of Fiji’s laws on fraud and scam protection “represents a crucial step forward in our work of keeping Fijians safe.”

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 continue to have an impact on consumers,
businesses, and the Fijian economy as a whole.
Mr Abraham, highlighted the need for stronger legal frameworks in the fight against scams and fraud.
“We have been pushing for stronger scam and fraud protection laws for quite some time,” he said.

“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.
“In addition to our awareness efforts, where we encourage a proactive stance by the public, in terms of being vigilant and avoiding scams in the first place, we see the need for more detailed and stricter laws, so that we have severe enough punishment that can serve as a deterrent to offenders.”
He said some areas of focus that FCCC would like to see included legal mandates for telecommunication
and digital platforms to stop scammers from contacting consumers, and integration of consumer
education into school curriculums.
“Establishing legal mechanisms for the recovery of payments in cases where service providers
are proven negligent is also very important to us.
“We also are 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.”
Mr Abraham says the FCCC also supports ongoing training and knowledge sharing to ensure regulatory and enforcement bodies stay ahead of scam tactics.
“We hope that this review takes a whole-of-society approach, bringing together government
bodies, regulatory authorities, and the private sector to ensure that the Fijian people are
safeguarded. As regulators, we must ensure that our systems are secure and evolve to meet new
challenges.”
He said the FCCC looks forward to contributing to the review and working with stakeholders to develop a
stronger, more responsive legal framework to protect Fiji’s consumers from fraud and scams.
For more information or to report any breaches of consumer rights, the public can contact the
FCCC by calling 8921 991, emailing [email protected], or through any of the channels at
https://linktr.ee/fijianccc.