The advent of the Internet continues to open new frontiers in digital marketing. One visible impact of the Internet in marketing has been the growing increase in online transactions which profits marketers and seemingly satisfies customers.
An Application Security Specialist with the ECOBANK Group, Prince Edu- Gyamfi attributes the surge in online transactions to the ease and speed the internet comes with.
According to him “Consumers are now looking at how easier they can get access to their goods. Thus, in our current dispensation, taking the Covid-19 situation now, instead of going to the market with the fear of being infected, consumers would rather prefer being at home and then ordering for their goods online.”
Irrespective of these positives outlined, there are growing concerns about the platform of e-commerce becoming breeding grounds for criminals. A 2021 report by the Cybercrime Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service indicates that cyber fraud makes up 45 percent of all cybercrime cases in the country.
Application Security Specialist, Prince Edu-Gyamfi says with little or no regulations on the e-commerce landscape, some people are using that opportunity to take advantage of unsuspecting customers.
Speaking to individuals on the campus of the University of Cape Coast who have ever conducted business via the internet, there seemed to be varied impressions.
A lady who has been scammed before lamented, “some time ago I wanted some items so I went on Facebook and fortunately for me I saw one shop that had the things that I wanted so I contacted them. To clear any doubts from my mind as to if they are genuine or not, I asked this shop to send me evidence of their genuineness and indeed I was sent convincing reviews from previews buyers. At the end of the day, I sent them GH₵ 350.00 hoping to get the items I wanted and to date, I haven’t gotten anything.”
“My traditional way of shopping always influences my online purchase but the few times I have shopped online without having pre-knowledge about the project has been alright. But it depends on the shop too. It’s all about trust and monitoring the page for some time before purchasing. Nevertheless, I always pick the traditional way of shopping over online,” another shared.
While emphasizing the need for customers to take precautions to protect themselves from online security threats, Mr. Edu-Gyamfi also called on the government to implement strict measures to regulate activities on online platforms so they can prosecute perpetrators of online fraud.
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Source: Emmanuella Ama Gyamfi/ATLFMNEWS
