Shoppers asked to keep transactions on e-commerce platforms

THE country’s cybersecurity bureau has warned buyers to keep transactions within e-commerce platforms to avoid getting scammed by scrupulous sellers.

In a statement, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Cybersecurity Bureau advised the public to keep their transactions with online sellers within the e-commerce platforms or online stores for their safety.

“This is so any issues or concerns regarding the online sellers may be brought up and addressed accordingly, something which will be difficult to do if the transaction was done outside of the e-commerce platforms or online stores,” it said.

Reports and complaints have reached the DICT regarding sellers from e-commerce platforms or online stores, where buyers are given an external means, such as Viber or Messenger, for contacting and transacting with the seller, wherein such store or seller can no longer be contacted once buyers have made partial or full payment for their ordered items. All the while, the ordered items remain undelivered.

For e-commerce platforms, the bureau recommended that they develop a security mechanism within the platform that can continuously detect when sellers input additional contact details be it as a text or an image, especially when the seller is providing assistance to its prospect customers.

The platform should also have regular reminders before finalizing every transaction stating the risks of fraud, and the inability of the platform to address incidents when the transaction is done outside of the platform.

The bureau said e-commerce platforms should also verify the identities of their respective clientele before allowing them to make transactions. This is to ensure the safety of the delivery service personnel from “prank” or “hoax” deliveries or transactions.

“E-commerce platforms should consider establishing a mechanism that can detect suspicious changes on users’ account ordering behavior including basic information such as IP addresses, location of the delivery address, total bills etc. Online stores or their systems may require these of users for additional verification before completing a transaction,” the bureau said. (JOB)

Related Stories

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph