As e-commerce emerges to increasingly dominate consumer activity across much of the country’s urban centers, the digital commercial shift has come with its own set of challenges especially for the low-income masses, who in their desperation to secure the most budget-friendly deals, end up losing their money to online fraudsters.
Over the years, numerous cases of fraud have been reported in various online transaction businesses, including the purchase of cars, kitchen appliances, and clothing. With many oblivious buyers falling prey to online scammers, cybercrime has assumed the status of a significant threat for shoppers in the virtual world of anonymity. As a result, a large number of people are approaching the cybercrime department of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to file complaints.
Osama Butt shared his recent experience of being targeted by online scammers, who trapped him through advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. Intrigued by the ads, Butt contacted the website, which claimed to sell non-customs-paid vehicles from Balochistan at half the market price.
“When I reached out to them, they sent me pictures of the vehicles via WhatsApp. Initially, they disclosed a lower price for the vehicle but requested payment upfront to cover the delivery cost to Lahore. Once they received this initial payment, the scammers continued to ask for more money, assuring that the vehicle would be delivered on time. Unfortunately, I ended up losing Rs100,000,” regretted Butt, who filed a complaint with the FIA's Cyber Crime Department regarding the online scam.
Similarly, Shazia Dawood was also targeted by an online scammer through an advertisement for electronic equipment posted on Facebook. Shazia ordered the appliances for her home and had made the payment in advance. Unfortunately, however, she never received the items. Feeling embarrassed and ashamed, she decided not to report the incident, concerned about what others might think. “Since I am an educated woman, it’s embarrassing to share my naivety at trusting the fraudsters,” said Shazia.
According to information obtained by The Express Tribune, 18,000 applications related to online fraud, also known as electronic fraud, were received last year. However, 15 per cent of these applicants have been turned away and advised to take their cases to the consumer court instead. Meanwhile, action is being taken on the remaining applications. Notably, Punjab has reported many cases, with over 7,000 applications received, out of which the majority, 3,000, were from Lahore. The rate of electronic fraud in the province is quite alarming, with hundreds of cases being reported to the FIA's five director offices every year, escalating at an annual rate of 15 to 20 per cent.
Although the rate of cases based on these applications has remained very low, with only 3 to 5 per cent of cases registered annually, it is also worth noting that many victims of electronic fraud also fail to follow up on their applications with Cyber Crime FIA while others do not even bother visiting their office after submitting their applications.
A senior cybercrime officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, attributed the rise in cases of cyber fraud to the greed of buyers to obtain items at lower costs. “Fraudsters exploit this weakness of buyers to extort large sums of money from them through various means. The FIA has taken action against these criminal elements, resulting in the arrest of many suspects and the recovery of money,” said the officer.
On the other hand, sources privy to the Express Tribune revealed that the FIA's Cybercrime Unit still lacked the necessary resources it required, despite a gradual increase in the cybercrime rate.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ