A consumer bought a Christmas tree online for € 300 and finally received a… card with a Christmas tree on it. This is one of the many cases of cyber fraud of unsuspecting consumers, who then turn to the Police, many times failing to justify themselves. The above-mentioned incident was narrated yesterday to the parliamentary Trade Committee by a representative of the Police.
However, at a time when the allegations in the Cybercrime Department of the Police for cyber frauds are increasing, the Ministry of Energy, as reported yesterday in the Parliament, withdraws (for its updating) the bill for electronic transactions, which included measures to deal with fraud. via Web.
During yesterday's meeting of the Trade Committee, which discussed the issue of consumer protection - holders of credit cards from online theft, a police spokesman referred to the above complaint, which was received yesterday morning by a consumer. As he said, There is a big problem, because many citizens choose to use the internet to do their shopping, from controversial online stores. The police spokesman expressed regret over the withdrawal of the e-commerce bill, which could block fraudulent websites. As he said, if weapons are not given to the state, the problem will not be solved.
On behalf of the Association of Banks, Andreas Kostouris stated that some cybercriminals gain access to consumer data and transfer money. However, as he said, the electronic systems of the banks are safe, which limit the crime, pointing out that there was a case of a citizen who himself gave his data to the criminals. According to the representative of the association, the phenomenon with internet frauds is not Cypriot but global. He pointed out that citizens should not share their information with anyone.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Energy called on citizens to be be especially careful when using the internet for shopping. On behalf of GERIET, it was mentioned that the transactions on the internet are done with protocols, pointing out that the blocking of the websites is the last measure that must be taken. As stated by a representative of GERIET, the best measure is prevention.
A representative of the PSC (Committee for the Protection of Competition), stated that the commission now has no tools to tackle e-commerce. As he said, cases of cartels and illegal practices via the internet have not yet been dealt with by the PSC. He also said that the PSC will proceed with the purchase of specialized programs and the hiring of developers.
philenews.com
