[ad_1]
Open
Fraudsters are targeting older and retired women as they use romance to get cash. Acting Director of Economic Crime Reshmi Dass revealed at the National Fraud Awareness Week event at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva that nearly 10 cases are being heard in the courts and shared the story of a woman who lost about $500,000 to a romance scam. She said the perpetrators sweet-talked the women, aged 60 to 70, into sending nude photos of themselves and then threatened to expose them on social media. This was the headline on the front page of the Fiji Times on Thursday, August 29.
We also heard that the United Methodist Church in Fiji has not yet made a decision on its relationship with partner churches that accept LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage. A Fijian church community from Nevada, USA, said they formally asked MCIF to sever its relationship with the United Methodist Church. MCIF Secretary General Jolame Lasawa said the church has acknowledged the issues raised by the US delegation, however, they must proceed with caution because the church has a preliminary agreement with the UMC.
Business’s headline reveals Germany’s kava ban is political, not scientific. That’s according to German kava scientist Dr Mathias Schmidt. In an interview with The Fiji Times, Dr Schmidt spoke about the 24-year-old ban imposed by Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and urged Fiji and other kava producing countries in the Pacific to seek diplomatic help from the German Foreign Minister and the European Union because the scientific community is unaware that the ban is not scientifically motivated but politically motivated. See pages 13-14 for more information.
summary
Love can sometimes make people blind!
Reports of retired women being targeted in romance scams are worrying.
Acting Director of Economic Crime Reshmi Dass raised the issue at the National Fraud Awareness Week event held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva on Monday.
It is serious when it deprives the victim of their dignity, image, reputation and money!
Ms. Das narrated the case of a woman who reportedly lost about $500,000 to this romance fraud scheme.
She spoke about the complaints her team had received and revealed that some of the victims were retired women who had shared their nude photos with people they were communicating with.
So the way the scheme works is that the perpetrators threaten to expose the victims on social media and defame their character unless they give them (the perpetrators) money!
Therefore, victims are put in a dilemma and would rather give up money to silence the perpetrators!
Sadly, this is clearly not a viable solution for victims who are completely at the mercy of their perpetrators.
It’s like a never-ending cycle. They are constantly misled, threatened, and suppressed!
Ms. Das said similar cases had been heard in the court.
The woman reportedly paid up to $500,000 to a young man who pretended to live overseas and used a WhatsApp number.
He focused on contacting women who were retired or in their sixties and seventies.
The victim in that case eventually discovered that the perpetrator was a local and reported it to the authorities.
We say personal information must be properly protected. The case before us reflects the seriousness of these scams.
As we pointed out above, they rob their victims of their economic resources and damage their dignity, reputation, and image.
This is a disturbing trend and the stress this manipulative behavior puts on victims. It does raise the question: why are people so easily manipulated into handing over nude photos of themselves to someone they’ve never met in person? Why would they even engage in such discussions? Clearly, some perpetrators can be very good at doing this and simply don’t care about their victims.
Therefore, we emphasize the need to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity. Let us be cautious about sharing personal information and report fraudulent activity.
The message is clear indeed. Protect your personal information and stay vigilant against potential scams!
Let’s remember the impact of social media on our lives. Let’s remember artificial intelligence, and the many uses of social media portals. Let’s talk about this. Let’s get involved. Let’s talk about misinformation and disinformation by the way! For parents and guardians, let’s keep a close eye on our children’s activities on the Internet!
[ad_2]
Source link
