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Nkosilathi Sibanda, Business Correspondent
THE Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) has tasked mobile networks and Internet providers to seek better ways of protecting consumers from cybercrimes as the country’s digital penetration intensifies.
Of late data usage has been on the increase as people adapt to doing transactions online, of which the CCZ says the situation leaves consumers at the mercy of fraudsters and hackers who take advantage of the laxity of secure walls on the cyber space.
Forms of cybercrime common in the country include plastic money fraud, card cloning and a spate of bank accounts and mobile cash platforms being hacked. The consumer watchdog believes that mobile phone networks and the banking sector have the capacity to secure people’s financial investments as business is fast moving online.
CCZ’s Matabeleland region chairman Mr Ntokozo Nyoni said it is imperative that service providers do their part in protecting online consumers. He said they have received complaints from the public and business community on the unfair practices when transacting online.
“Consumers of cellphone, banking and other online aligned products have become hapless victims of all sorts of cybercrime. The complaints range from unfair data charges, banking charges and sometimes fraud. Now that the country has moved to online transactions, it is a norm for fraudsters to make a killing by robbing people of their money.
“Our plea as CCZ is on these companies that do online business, especially banks and cellphone networks to help protect consumers. More has to be done to ensure that people’s money is safe,” he said.
Mr Nyoni said this as the country celebrated the World Consumers Rights Day last week. The main celebrations were held in Victoria Falls last week. Running under the theme “Trusted Smart Products”, the annual event came on the heels of the nationwide Parliamentary public hearings on the Consumer Protection Bill. The CCZ is assured the legal instrument will greatly help in averting cybercrime and empower consumers in the age of digitalisation.
Bongani Ndlovu