17 Oct 2003

Church group probed in Fiji for alleged fraud

6:50 am on 17 October 2003

Members of a church group in Fiji are under investigation for defrauding the Western Union money transfer company of nearly 200-thousand US dollars.

Fiji TV reports that money from the scam was used to fund travel by church members, including a visit to Samoa by a group of six.

A man and his sister are now in police custody over the fraud and more church members are expected to be arrested soon.

A police spokesman, Mesake Koroi, says the scam began in March thus year when the man manipulated Western Union's money transfer scheme to defraud the company.

Fiji TV says it has been told that the scam was extended to Solomon Islands where church members were used to defraud money from Western Union branches there.