Consumer watchdog on Mastercard
The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) has welcomed the recently launched MPAiSA Mastercard by Vodafone, Fiji. It will offer exciting possibilities for seamless digital transactions, said CCoF.
Council chief executive officer, Seema Shandil, has commended Vodafone for the introduction of this globally connected and mobile-first approach. “We must ensure that in any product being availed in the market, consumer protection is held paramount; especially given the number of digital scams seen globally as well as locally,” she said. “Whilst such initiatives, when implemented right, are a win for consumers, the council wants service providers to take ownership of it and all that comes with it. “There have been a lot of issues which are present in the market in regards to e-wallets such as unauthorized withdrawals, scammers posing as service provider agents, text scams relating to one time password and exorbitant charges being imposed by traders on the use of such platforms.”
The council said given the launch of the new product, more consumers were anticipated to use such platforms.
“With increased amounts of cash being transacted, service providers need to take immediate and proactive measures to address these issues to ensure consumers do not lose out,” she said. Consumers are also reminded to enquire about and thoroughly read all the terms and conditions of such digital solutions and must not engage in any risky consumer behavior such as sharing passwords and transacting on questionable websites.