I would like to highlight a fraudulent loan programme that has been bringing misery to people who are already financially in dire straits.
A friend recently saw an advertisement on her social media regarding a loan programme. After contacting the loan provider via text, she was told that she would not be charged interest because it was part of an Islamic scheme.
Being cash-strapped, she figured she would borrow BND5,000 to tide her over until she was financially more stable. Then the person at the other end requested that she deposited BND200 to a local bank account. Once received, the money she asked for would be released to her.
So she did what she was told and deposited the only amount she had left in the hope of obtaining the loan. Not only did she not receive the sum she was promised, the person ghosted her. Panicked, she kept texting the person, demanding to know what was going on.
A few hours later, she received a text from a different number asking her to make another BND300 deposit. That was when it hit her that she had been scammed.
Immediately, she lodged a police report but was told that there was nothing that could be done about her ordeal. So the question becomes: Who should she turn to for help? The police? The banking institution that hosted the account? The cybercrime unit?
While scams are nothing new, it was at least traditionally done in person. These days, there are so many scams on social media that it is no longer restricted to a certain age group; it can happen to anyone who uses social media.
I hope the authorities could find a way to clamp down on these social media scams before more people fall prey to them.
Jane Doe
