The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has cautioned the public to be wary of online fraudsters in their business transactions.

This warning comes at the back of fraudsters cashing in on the convenience of transacting business online and depriving members of the public of their hard-earned monies.

The caution was contained in a statement dated June 30 and signed by Head of Public Affairs, Faustina Lartey. The EOCO noted that the “Criminals have targeted online purchases and delivery services and are defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.”

According to EOCO, the online fraudsters have a unique modus operandi:

• These criminals open fake online accounts where they advertise very attractive items at competitive prices while offering door-to-door delivery services.
• In reality, no such shops exist, therefore the operators do not encourage shop visits or picking up of items in person. Full payment before delivery is their preferred business module.
• They stop interacting with their victims the very moment full payment is made or some substantial amount of money has been paid by the victims.
• They finally block off the victims' contact numbers or their social media pages to avoid interacting with them.

The EOCO therefore advised the general public, "to do due diligence before parting with money all in the name of online shopping/ delivery.

It assured the public that in accordance with its mandate to prevent and detect organized crime, "we will continue to monitor developments with online business transactions in order to protect citizens from these fraudsters.