The Fiji Police Force is cautioning members of the public about online scams as the festive season neared.
Assistant Commissioner of Crime Mesake Waqa said there had been reports of email compromises where hackers, through deceptive email messages or websites, were luring people into releasing confidential information that was used for illegal means.
ACP Waqa said once hackers obtained personal information, they would send links to certain sites frequented by the victim, usually with an offer of a product on sale.
He said victim would then commit to the sale by entering his/her online banking information, which was then used by the hacker.
“Hackers will send emails claiming to be from reputable companies, however, upon closer inspection of the web address, a letter would be altered, and once accessed, it would take the user to a site that has been set up to look like a legitimate site,” ACP Waqa said.
He added once the compromised site was hacked, all personal information entered was stored by the hacker and then used for illegal means.
“Other online scams using messaging platforms such as Viber, WhatsApp, and Facebook messenger platforms are again emerging. An example is through Viber whereby the hacker tries to obtain an individual’s viber activation code, and as a result, they take over their viber account. The hacker then creates another account using the victim’s viber profile with the same profile picture but from a different mobile number.
“With that account, they start asking for assistance from victims’ contacts to send money.”
ACP Waqa has urged members of the public to carefully scrutinise emails and messages received requesting money, even if it was from someone known to them.
