Fiji Sun recently copped a lot of backlashes from stakeholders with one issue of national interest – the EbayShop Online Recruitment.
The Consumer Council of Fiji, in several media releases, also warned Fijians the dangers of signing into the platform without being fully informed.
Even social media influencer, Taniela Leweniqila, who goes by the name Dan Fiji, now living in the United States, also warned Fijians in several posts meticulously explaining how it works against a member.
Additionally, the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF), the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission as well as Vodafone Fiji also highlighted the dangers of getting involved in the platform.
We sought comments from the Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica, and he confirmed Government would launch an investigation.
The EbayShop Online Recruitment agents strongly had hit back when we highlighted how the platform was yet another pyramid scheme.
They claimed it was legitimate adding that it was benefitting them and members.
Some members we knew, but have chosen to keep their identities anonymous, had even gone to the extent of resigning from their jobs.
Yet here we are. What seemed too good to be true, really, was too good to be true!
When they have negotiated with you enough to the point you’ve earned their trust, they will do the exact opposite.
When you have little to no understanding of the complexities of cryptocurrency while the unknown person sitting behind the keyboard controls it, you’re in danger.
When you have a Jane or John Doe circulating and controlling your money as they please for their benefit, they will eventually make a run for it.
And run they have, for the highest benefactor from this Ponzi scheme is to date, unknown.
The climax of it all was vindicated when the platform crashed on Sunday leaving hundreds of Fijians with empty wallets and asking the questions, they should have in the first place.
The Financial Intelligence Unit, Police and other relevant bodies are urging members and agents to continue lodging their complaints.
They are pooling their resources together to crackdown on this complicated saga for who knows, the money lost may never be recovered.
Even the agents who so passionately testified and heaped praises on the platform are left dumbfounded and cooperating with authorities.
They too need to be investigated as from what we understand, while they were not the biggest winners, they allegedly facilitated the wheels of this platform and also allegedly earned substantial sums from it. Had it not been for media organisations and the learned to highlight this issue, who knows when it would have continued and how many more Fijians would have been duped.
At the heart of this is our duty to the public to make wise and informed decisions about their lives. As authorities forge on with investigations, let’s hope that this is a lesson for Fijians to be more vigilant and to seek advice before jumping on a bandwagon bound to collapse.
Let common sense prevail
Story By: ranoba.baoa@fijisun.com.fj