Fake Online Partner Scams in Fiji
Romance scammers target Fijians and tourists via social media, building emotional relationships over weeks before engineering financial crises that require money transfers.
Part of: Fake Online Partners
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Romance scams affect Fijians across all demographics, but are particularly common among older adults and diaspora members who may be more isolated and thus more susceptible to the attentive communication style of a skilled scammer. Fraudsters create fake profiles — often presenting as foreign professionals interested in Fijian culture — and invest weeks in relationship-building before the financial exploitation begins.
Tourists are also targeted while in Fiji: scammers pose as local contacts who need money after an emergency, leveraging the sympathetic impulse that holidaymakers naturally feel toward local people they have met.
How this scam works on Fiji
Fijian victims are most commonly targeted through Facebook, where fake profiles of foreign nationals claim to be charmed by Fijian culture and express a desire to visit or relocate. Over weeks of daily messages, a strong emotional bond forms.
The crisis narrative then appears: a medical emergency, a detained shipment, or an inability to access funds while abroad. The request is framed as temporary and urgent. In diaspora communities in Australia and New Zealand, scammers may pose as Fijian nationals needing help to resolve a property or family crisis back home.
When a victim attempts to stop payment, emotional manipulation escalates — expressions of heartbreak or threats that the relationship will end. Some victims continue sending money for months.
Common red flags
- Online contact expresses strong romantic interest very quickly despite never having met
- Claims to be a foreign professional who wants to visit Fiji but is always prevented
- First financial request is framed as a short-term loan rather than a gift
- Escalating crisis narratives that always require additional payments
- Resistance to live, unscripted video calls
- Profile is new, has few mutual contacts, and uses unusually polished photographs
How to protect yourself
- Reverse-image-search profile photographs to check whether they belong to someone else
- Insist on a live, unscripted video call before allowing emotional attachment to develop
- Never send money to someone you have not met in person
- Talk to a trusted friend or family member about the relationship before it becomes serious
- Understand that emotional investment in an online relationship is deliberately cultivated by these scammers
How to report it
- Report the profile to Facebook or the relevant social media platform
- Contact the Fiji Police Force with screenshots of all conversations
- Alert the Financial Intelligence Unit if money was transferred abroad
Frequently asked questions
Are diaspora Fijians specifically targeted by romance scammers?
Yes. Diaspora members are attractive targets because they are perceived to have both disposable income and potentially strong emotional ties to Fiji that can be exploited by a scammer posing as someone connected to their home country.