Protecting consumers online

@kabeeryousef -

Digital transactions have grown leaps and bounds over the past two years and it has been the buzzword of trading and will remain so for some time from now, according to the Central bank of Oman.

In its financial report for last year, it is shown that a whopping 40.6 per cent growth has been reported in online transactions in 2021 alone against 19.2 per cent growth rate in 2020, thanks to the ever-increasing usage of smartphones and newer applications aiding better, hassle-free living.

Thus, e-commerce has become an inevitable part and parcel of modern life marking a 78.7 per cent growth in 2021 against 47.9 per cent rise of 2020, literally earmarking a digital business revolution across all spectrum of business.

There has been an increasing trend in using plastic money instead of liquid cash in all retail sectors including FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods), hotels and restaurants, café, retail sector, gold as these sectors were asked to initiate e-payment system by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP).

The bi-product of such a surge in online trade is apparently the diminishing use of bank cheques which were of great demand in trade, commerce and businesses till recently. The CBO report further says that as many as 4 million cheque transactions were there in 2020 whereas the same was 4.7 million in 2019 and in 2021, it went down again to touch 3.8 million, an unprecedented phenomenon during the influx of online business.

However, although such transactions ensure timely payment compared to cheques and lesser dishonour of cheques, such a burgeoning online trade and wider acceptance of e-commerce is not without challenges, according to experts in digital transactions.

Oman reported 2,894 locally committed cyber crimes in 2021 which is nearly 10 per cent of the total crimes committed in the same year.

"The number of cybercrimes in the country rose to nearly 10 per cent which is an alarming rate especially when our children are studying online," said Nasr bin Khamis al Sawa'ee, Oman's Attorney General.

He added that crimes involving information technology and electronic transactions were next to commercial crimes and this shows how criminals in the cyber world are targeting the vulnerable lot. Proper campaigning against cybercrimes needs to be in place, according to cyber experts.

A recent report from the Oman Lawyers Association (OLA) says that there has been an increasing number of financial crimes committed online during the Covid-19 period at a time when digital transactions were at their peak.

"We received a large number of financial cases mostly committed online where the plaintiff was behind bars or was about to be arrested and we managed to secure the release of 1,035 people comprising both citizens and expatriates from all the governorates," said Dr Mohammed bin Ibrahim al Zadjali, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Omani Lawyers Association.

"This Surging number of cybercrimes is due to the increased usage of IT services and heavy dependence on the virtual world, thanks to the pandemic," attributes Tariq al Barwani, Knowledge Oman founder and Oman's Well-known IT enthusiast .

The previous year, Oman reported a 25 per cent rise in cybercrimes last year in comparison with previous year and bullying, harassments, blackmailing, extortion, data breach, and identity theft ranked the top six crimes.

"Electronic fraud and extortion have become the most serious cybercrimes these days especially when most of the children are online," said Brigadier Jamal bin Habib al Quraishi, Director General of Criminal Inquiries and Investigations, Royal Oman Police (ROP).

The way forward, people need to be vigilant in their digital transactions, dealings on social media and be watchful of their children online and be aware of their activities in the virtual world.

To start with, an advanced anti-malware programme should be in use and one should make sure that he or she is using a secured connection and a strong and complex password and check out for security vulnerabilities in the PC in use. One needs to make sure that he or she is dealing with reputed websites only while avoiding public computers and public Wi-Fi for any sensitive use such as sharing valuable information.

It is advised that only credit cards need to be used for online shopping and one can opt for OTP option for any online transaction while avoiding purchasing from untrustworthy portals. Additionally, make sure that you log out from e-commerce websites as soon as the deal is done.

"Catch them young and our children need to be educated on the risks of using social media inappropriately and not send personal data or pictures to a stranger or an online friend new friend as this might take them to dangers," he adds.