The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has received many complaints about the presence of advertisements on social media promoting illegal businesses in the local market using new tactics.
The sources told Al-Qabas daily that the Ministry’s teams affiliated to the Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Sector were able to close a number of fake accounts that promote the activity of smart phones sale, in cooperation with the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA).
The sources pointed out that the complaints received by the ministry, represented by the commercial control sector, consisted of promoting the granting of ‘cash’ to citizens and residents in exchange for their acceptance of using their civil cards and names to buy smartphones from companies and shops, explaining that the victims of these advertisements get a rate that does not exceed 60 percent from the actual value of the phones, and they sign contracts through which they undertake to pay the full value of the phone in monthly installments.
The sources went on to say the amounts targeted by the promoters may be small, ranging between 500 and 800 dinars per person, but given the big number of customers the money involved may be huge.
