A TOTAL of $82,000 was stolen from Fijians who participated in scam transactions over the past year.
Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica said this amount was included in the 113 complaints lodged with the Consumer Council of Fiji.
Speaking at the opening of Fiji’s National Scams Awareness Week 2025 held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva yesterday, Mr Kamikamica told stakeholders that scams were no longer petty crimes.
“But this week is not about numbers,” he said.
“It is about resolve. Our resolve to fight back.”
“Our resolve to defend Fijians in every household, every business, every village and town from the smallest digital deception to the most sophisticated cross-border fraud.
“The threat we face today is not theoretical. Scams are already here – in our inboxes, in our phones, in our communities. They come disguised as legitimate services.”
Mr Kamikamica said scams were no longer consumer nuisances.
“They are national security threats. They weaken institutions, undermine trust, move illicit finance, exploit women and children and destabilise small businesses,” he said.
“They target the elderly. They exploit MSMEs. They harvest the data of our children. And increasingly, they operate with the speed, reach, and anonymity of technology.
“The question is not whether we act. It is how and how fast.”
Fraudsters to be pursued and prosecuted, says DPM
DEPUTY Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica has assured that fraudsters would be pursued and prosecuted through the National Security Strategy 2025–2029.
Highlighting the national strategy document at a National Scams Awareness Week held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva yesterday, he said the strategy was Government’s response to protect Fijians from scam fraudsters.
“This is not a fight Fiji must face alone,” he said.
“Through the Pacific Digital Economy Program, and with the support of the United Nations, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, we are building a regional firewall of shared knowledge, enforcement tools, and coordinated response.
“We are also preparing to join global anti-scam alliances and enforcement frameworks so that Fiji’s defences are not only local, but international.”
He said Fiji may be small in size but would lead by example.
“We will show that small states can build strong defences when they act with clarity, courage, and purpose.”
This year’s campaign theme – Working Together for a Scam-Free Fiji – he said was more than a message.
“It is a mission. It starts at home with families talking to each other. It starts in classrooms, where students learn not just to use devices, but to use them safely.
“It starts in churches and temples, community halls and boardrooms, where we speak plainly about risk.
“But it must also be embedded into law. Into every product designed.”
