Alleged abuse of CARE for Fiji initiative

There have been a number of alleged abuse cases involving recipients of the CARE for Fiji initiative.

This was revealed by the Fiji Consumer and Commission Council (FCCC) and the Consumer Council.

It has come to a stage where the two organisations have formed a joint taskforce to look into complaints from consumers in relation to traders who have been allegedly unethical in their dealings with members of the public.

While the initiative is for the vulnerable, some traders are allegedly taking advantage of this and have been accused of increasing the cost of goods. Some assessments showed that recipients have been told to swipe their cards and wait for delivery of goods at a later date. The later dates are not confirmed Traders have been identified and this comes as a warning to other traders.

However, the two organisations have also called for consumer responsibility.

While they look into matters of abuse from the traders, they are calling on the general public to be honest and not to abuse the Homes-CARE or Farms-CARE initiatives.

Some whose homes and farms were not at all damaged by TC Josie or TC Keni are allegedly claiming for these assistance.

There are people out there who are more in need, those who were really affected.

The Ministry for Poverty Alleviation, Women and Children has been reiterating since the initiative was rolled out that only Fijians whose homes were directly damaged or destroyed or whose possessions were lost or damaged by the two cyclones are eligible for the Homes-CARE assistance.

Fijians must understand also that under the Information Act 2016, any false information given to Government for the purpose of receiving a benefit is an offence and may result in the requirement to repay or face a fine of up to $20,000 or an imprisonment of up to 10 years..