The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection-DNCRP has formed a committee to refund the money stuck at payment gateways due to fraud by various e-commerce companies. The committee, headed by director of the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate Fakir Muhammad Munawar Hossain, will submit a report within the next 15 working days on refunding the 127 crore taka stuck at payment gateways to customers and how to end fraud by e-commerce establishments. This report will be handed over to the Minister of State for Commerce. He will then take a decision based on the actual situation.
The committee will have representatives of the Technical Committee on E-Commerce fraud constituted by the Ministry of Commerce, representatives of e-CAB, leaders of e-Valley and QCoom, representatives of payment gateways.
Director General (DG) AHM Safikuzzaman conveyed the matter to the journalists after the review meeting on the settlement of the complaints received against the e-commerce companies and the progress of payment stuck in the payment gateway organized in the meeting room of the National Directorate of Consumer Rights Protection on Sunday (May 19).
Out of the Tk 535-crore stuck in the payment gateway, 407 crore has been paid to the customers so far, he said, adding that 127 crore has not yet been returned. Many defrauded companies are back in business and efforts are being made to get them back in business. Still, I found that people have many complaints.
Safikuzzaman said, after fraud in the e-commerce sector about three years ago, the owners of many organizations fled the country, some are underground, some have come under the law, many have served jail time. In such a situation, 535 crore taka of customers are stuck in the payment gateway. The big challenge here was to return this money to the customers. A lot has come out of this situation now.
Mentioning the need to put an end to the issue of fraud in e-commerce, he further said that after settling the existing complaints regarding fraud in the e-commerce sector, the customers will be asked to know if there are any new complaints by notification through the media. A specific time will be fixed for this. No further complaints will be entertained after that time. Because injustice cannot continue like this. Someone can come and complain after 10 years. So, it needs to end.
