The steady growth of eCommerce in Ghana over the past few years has given rise to many small and thriving online stores clamoring for sales from buyers who opt for convenience; making an order for a product on their phones or laptops anywhere and at any time and getting them delivered right at their doorstep.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become major platforms that make it easy for buyers and sellers to meet and transact business, but they have also created an avenue for scammers to take advantage, particularly of buyers.
Going into the Christmas season, the phenomenon is widespread, with many fake online business pages scamming unsuspecting shoppers of huge sums through ridiculous deals.
“I was on Facebook looking for things to buy this Christmas, I saw their page and it was very attractive. I saw the likes and it was about 3,000 likes,” said Maame Yaa [not her real name].
She lost GH¢440 and did not receive the washing machine and gas cooker she placed an order for.
“The page is called Bill Super Save. Reading the comments on their page, they had very good reviews… The man told me that I should make 50% deposit before they bring it to me and that they are in Kumasi. He said delivery comes with a fee of GH¢ 50. The full amount was GH¢880 so I sent GH¢440 so that when they deliver, I pay the balance.”
“I called the next day to enquire about my items and he said if I want it express, I should send the remaining GH¢440, I refused and since then I haven’t heard from them. If I call and they hear my voice they end the call,” she said.
It has been about two weeks since the rather sour business relationship was initiated.
Erica Kodjoe, had a similar experience, coincidentally with the same Facebook page as Maame Yaa.
After considering a number of deals on brand new refrigerators, she decided to make an order for a brand new 91-litre Ronstar tabletop fridge.
“I did the transfer, took a screen shot and WhatsApped it to the Bill Super Save number that they should confirm receipt and he said okay, he has received it. The next morning, I was waiting for them, I called several times but they weren’t picking up. I sent them several messages; they read it and ignored it. It was at the point that it started ringing that it was a 419 scam.”
Erica Kodjoe
There are countless other similar stories shared online about fake business pages that advertize products in high demand, court potential buyers to interact with them privately and then take the opportunity to make money off them.
A Digital Marketing and Communications Professional, Stephen Nana Osei Boadi, in a Citi News interview said, fraud schemes of such nature on social media have been an age-old practice.
He said, many of the fake pages often try to take advantage of mega sales seasons such as Christmas because they are sure of getting a number of shoppers online.
Stephen Nana Osei Boadi, Digital Marketing and Communications Professional
He wants people who shop online to thoroughly examine the pages they intend to do business with and be on the lookout of suspicious features to avoid falling victim to business scams on social media.
“A lot of the onus rests on you the buyer. Be thorough in checking some of these pages. Check around the page, find out what’s there, do things add up? There are businesses that will post today and will not post again a year down the line. Also, try and do price comparison, look around and see if the price is legit. If it is ridiculously low then there must be catch so you don’t fall for it.”
“Another one will be reviews. You will find that sometimes they [fraudsters] set up their own people to give reviews. They use fake accounts to give the reviews. Sometimes, you will find that the questions that are legitimate [on the page], they don’t answer them.”
“When it comes to payment, always insist on paying at the door. Let them bring the product then you pay,” Nana Osei Boadi advised.
Many of those who fall victim to the operations of scammers behind the fake business pages on social media do not report to the police. The few that do, do not trust that the police have the requisite skill to address the challenge.
Dela [not her real name] gave up on her pursuit to retrieve her GH¢500 and that of her friend to a fake facebook business page when the police did not get back with feedback on the case after reporting the case.
“I went with a Police inspector trying to follow up on information they [scammer] gave as the company’s location after I posed as a new buyer. We never saw anyone at the place.. The police said they’ll look into it but I’ve still not heard anything from them,” she said.
Her story was, while doing her clinical at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital about four months ago, she found a laptop for sale on a Facebook page.
With her friend, they were expecting two HP Notebook 15 laptops at GH¢1,200 each but the item was never delivered, she was blocked on WhatsApp, and Facebook and could not reach the scammers via phone.
“They said they were having a promotion so the prices had reduced. The laptop was 1,200 so I paid GH¢500. I told a friend about the deal, that the price wasn’t so high so she could also get one, she also made a payment.”
“We were expecting the two laptops. On the day they were expected to deliver the laptop, I called them and they said they were on their way…Later they stopped answering my calls but when I used another number and pretended to be an interested buyer, they responded and gave me directions to a place at Kasoa, I got there and called them but they didn’t answer.”
“That was my first time of buying something on Facebook and I’m sure it will be my last,” she said.
While the individual cases of fraud from fake business pages on social media may not involve hefty sums, the numerous complaints suggest the operators make substantial amounts before closing down the accounts.
The Head of Cybercrime Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Dr. Gustav Herbert Yankson said the police is aware of such developments and has already picked some accounts it is following up on.
“Our cyber intelligence department picked up some comments on social media but we’ve not had official complaints at this unit. We also had some information sent to us by the Intelligence Unit of the CID Headquarters that they have also heard some complaints. We have picked a few accounts and we are following it up,” he said.
Dr. Gustav Herbert Yankson, Head of Cybercrime Unit, Police CID
Dr. Yankson said the unit has the resources to look into such cases and trace the scammers behind them and so victims must assist them with relevant information to help arrest them.
“We can follow up because it started from Facebook and we have very good collaboration with Facebook so we can get anything from them. Usually, they use phone numbers so through the telephone numbers we will be able to trace them. When you [victim] come in, you will be able to help us with some phone numbers, particular accounts or information on where to pay money and all that, all these can help us to be able to trace the perpetrator,” he added.
While law enforcement agencies attempt to clamp down on such activities, social media Christmas shoppers bear greater responsibility for their safety online.
From experts, beware of ridiculously low prices, be cautious of sweet testimonials, and insist on payment on delivery.
Citinewsroom
