Enab Baladi – Christina al-Shammas
In recent years, the sale of various products online in Syria has spread as a way to keep up with technological advancement and to prove a presence in e-commerce marketing. With an increase in internet usage and smartphones, online shopping has become an available option for many Syrians.
However, the experiences reported by Enab Baladi show that many users and e-commerce enthusiasts have faced fraud cases, a lack of organization, and products that lack credibility.
Zina Asaad recounts her story to Enab Baladi after falling victim to a scam involving an item she ordered from a page selling home furniture. She wanted to buy a wooden painting that appeared to be of good quality in the photos, and the marketer required her to pay half the price before receiving the painting.
Asaad was surprised upon receiving the painting to find the wood quality poor and not matching the photos. When she contacted the marketer, he refused to take back the painting or refund her money.
E-commerce through intermediaries
The process of e-marketing in Syria began by promoting various products through pages managed by unknown individuals on social media sites (Facebook, Instagram), or by joining closed groups to facilitate reaching the targeted audience.
Those involved in e-commerce have capitalized on the ban of some marketing websites in Syria, such as SHEIN, an online shopping store that offers products including clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, cosmetic products, and electronics.
The store has seen significant interest from Syrians, who sought out individuals working to deliver orders from the site, such as Nada Mohanna, who explained to Enab Baladi her method of operation. She created her own page on Facebook for delivering orders and was able, in a short time, to reach a number of e-commerce enthusiasts (customers).
Customers contact Mohanna to request the products they wish to buy after shopping on the site. Orders are shipped to Syria via an intermediary living abroad, so the delivery process may take 15-25 days.
Mohanna charges an additional fee for each product ordered, earning an extra profit ranging from 15,000 to 25,000 Syrian pounds for each item, with customers transferring the amount to her through money transfer companies.
A purchase that won’t be repeated
Ibtisam Qassam, a regular online shopper, expressed her dissatisfaction with the cosmetic products she received that did not match the original product, avoiding their use for fear of skin allergies, stating, “I will not repeat the experience again.”
Dima al-Ali experienced fraud from one of the marketers when she ordered a set of kitchen utensils (Tefal type) from a Facebook page selling electrical and household goods, only to receive utensils that did not match the image or description, with poor quality and unsuitable for use.
After threatening the page’s administrator with a complaint, al-Ali was refunded in exchange for retracting her complaint, noting that many e-commerce pages on social media lack credibility.
Consumer Protection Association warns
The Secretary of the Consumer Protection Association, Abdul Razak Habza, told Enab Baladi that the association has repeatedly warned against online shopping since its inception, which was limited to selling simple items like cosmetics or some foods, thus having a minimal impact on consumers.
Afterward, the process greatly expanded to include the promotion of certain products that caused harm to consumers, such as allergies from certain cosmetic materials, and also included certain electrical devices that involved deception and fraud against citizens, with many users falling into the trap of this promotion, according to Habza.
The Consumer Protection Association has received more than one complaint regarding this issue, which were handled through reconciliation between consumers and online marketers, who justify their actions by stating their financial hardship.
Habza considered that the fraud in e-marketing is more dangerous than insults and defamation that occur on social media pages, as this matter involves the waste of citizens’ money and exposes them to health risks concerning certain products.
Procedures for consumer protection
Habza explained that the Consumer Protection Association deals with the issue through preventive measures to educate citizens about fraud and deception, to alert them about the dangers of unidentified materials that are harmful to health, and to guide consumers to verify the authenticity of the product.
As for legal measures, in the event of a complaint from the affected party, the Consumer Protection Association defends them and represents them in court.
Habza confirms that these products lack commercial registration or industrial licenses, deeming e-commerce a “state of chaos.” In the case of purchasing any product through e-commerce, a commercial registry for the marketing seller must be presented along with their identity and verification of their place of residence, as well as presenting a product statement card that specifies the product specifications (production date, materials used in its composition, expiration date).
Legal response
Lawyer Fadi al-Rahal told Enab Baladi that there are laws regulating online shopping, the first being consumer protection law, in cases of fraud involving selling goods that do not meet the specifications agreed upon with the seller, for which a light criminal penalty is imposed.
The second is the law against cybercrime, which covers fraud committed over the internet, punishable before the criminal court relating to cybercrime.
According to al-Rahal, online fraud has numerous detrimental effects on affected individuals.
Citizens can protect themselves and reclaim their rights in cases of fraud by taking screenshots of communications between the parties, keeping receipts of financial transfers, and not delaying in submitting complaints to the relevant authorities, as advised by lawyer Fadi al-Rahal.