ANOTHER pyramid scheme has come to light that investigations have found to be another scam designed to defraud its victims of their hard-earned money.
The online platform operating under the name SFCVIBE RATING LIMITED, described to be a task-based pyramid scheme that lures victims with the promise of high payouts for performing simple digital tasks such as rating and reviewing movies.
The scheme requires participants to pay monthly subscription fees upfront to be able to unlock work levels.
The SFCVIBE RATING LIMITED platform operates on a pay-to-earn model where users are forced to pay a subscription or deposit before they can begin work.
Following the devastating impact of the eBayShop online recruitment pyramid scam in 2023 that reportedly generated a loss of more than $3million, Fiji’s consumer watchdog has again cautioned consumers to be vigilant and not make any payments to this platform.
The Consumer Council of Fiji said such schemes that required participants to make upfront payments was a classic hallmark of a fraudulent operation, similar to the infamous eBayShop scheme.
Council chief executive officer Seema Shandil said their investigations had found that SFCVIBE used several deceptive tactics to exploit users.
She said legitimate employment never required an entry fee.
She said the platform also used tiered membership traps and VIP levels to encourage users to deposit larger sums of money for supposedly higher returns.
“The movie reviews themselves appear to be a front to legitimise the flow of money as the system relies entirely on new member deposits to pay out existing users. This is coupled with heavy recruitment incentives that place pressure on members to invite friends to earn commissions, serving as the primary drivers of the scheme,” Ms Shandil said.
“This new wave of digital scams specifically targets those looking for secondary income in a digital economy.
“If you are required to pay money to get a job, it is not a job but a scam. Once the recruitment of new members slows down, these platforms inevitably crash, and the administrators disappear with the remaining funds.”
In light of those findings, Ms Shandil said they are strongly adivising members of the public to immediately cease all payments to SFCVIBE, even if the platform claimed it was for tax or account verification purposes.
Victims of this scam are advised to contact the Council via its toll-free line 155 or through email – complaints@consumersfiji.org; and to also report the transaction details to their service provider to help trace the recipients and prevent further fraud.
