Friday, 29 March, 2024, 5:18 PM
Advance Search
Home

SCAM IN E-COMMERCE BASED PLATFORMS

Daraz’s link with illegal sale of foreign bank cards found

Published : Tuesday, 30 November, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 2458

E-commerce company daraz.com.bd (Daraz) is selling virtual cards and unauthorized digital products of foreign banks. Investigation agency has found evidence of smuggling of several thousand crores of taka abroad every year.  
Besides Bangladesh Bank says it is illegal to sell virtual cards of foreign banks in this way.     A person who did not want to disclose his name, said he bought electronic goods online using a virtual card from Daraz websites on September 22.  For this he had to send the same amount of Bangladeshi money to the specific merchant account of Daraz. The card was later found to be from a resident of the USA.
October 10, another person named Nasir Uddin bought a virtual card in the same way. He said, "I actually buy some gift cards using foreign bank cards from various e-commerce sites including Daraz. We pay through MFS in BDT. We get the virtual currency from Daraz."
When asked, AHM Hasinul Quddus Rosho, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Daraz, about virtual card sale over phone, told this correspondent to submit questions in written. But later he could not be reached over phone despite repeatef efforts. Then daraz spokesperson replied that for purchase / sale of all digital products collected on any Virtual / Digital Payment channel other than Virtual / Digital Payment channel approved by Bangladesh Bank is strictly prohibited on the platform of Daraz Bangladesh Limited.
Besides, Instagram, Facebook, TickTock (Like/Subscription/Follower), Games Code of (Pubg/Freefire) were restricted to purchase/sale on our platform by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and High Court on August 16.  
Except for the mentioned digital products, all the digital products that are collected according to the virtual/digital payment channels approved by Bangladesh Bank, there will be no restriction on all the digital products (until further instructions).
According to the investigation agency, this is how big crimes are being committed through the virtual cards of foreign banks. The offenses are money laundering, terrorism financing, drug and arms trafficking and transnational crimes.
Two types of virtual cards of foreign banks are being sold here.. One is a fixed card, the other is rechargeable card.
Unauthorized virtual products include foreign channel subscription fees, software activation keys and subscription fees, purchase of game development tools and software, ecommerce gift cards and gift cards from the Google Play Store and App Store.
According to the investigating agency, Daraz has sold at least one lakh virtual cards of foreign banks in the last two years.
Regarding this Bangladesh Bank, spokesperson says it is completely illegal to sell imported foreign bank cards and digital products. If someone takes a foreign bank card and does not use the card himself, he sells it to someone else. In that case there is no provision.
According to various government agencies, at least Tk 10,000 crore is being smuggled through these illegal virtual products every year.









Latest News
Most Read News
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: info©dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
  [ABOUT US]     [CONTACT US]   [AD RATE]   Developed & Maintenance by i2soft