Editorial
Halt fraudulent online business transactions!
Technology has made it possible for business to be carried out with ease without physical transaction between the seller and the buyer.
This is very good and more convenient for businessmen and women who are always working under pressure due to the little time they have at their disposal.
The increase in online business transaction for example, helps to boost business in all sectors of the country. Online transactions lead to rapid business growth and increase the profit levels of business entities.
The problem, however, is that many fraudulent individuals and groups have managed to study the system and take advantage of available loopholes to cheat unsuspecting people.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is concerned about this unfortunate development. It has, therefore, drawn the attention of the public to be careful about the surge in fraudulent online business transactions in the country.
In light of this, people must be very careful not to part with money until they are sure that those they are dealing with are genuine. Otherwise, if they part with money to the wrong hands via online, the fraudulent dealers will vanish into thin air immediately and tracing them may be difficult.
Online business transaction is good, but if it leads to fraud, then people will have to be very careful about such transactions. We all need to be wary of such fraudulent acts, so that we will not easily fall victim to such schemes.
EOCO has done well in alerting people to this negative development, so every individual should pay attention to this advice to avoid being cheated or deceived by unscrupulous persons.
Money is difficult to come by these days. For this reason, every effort should be made to avoid falling victim to any trickster.
Many a time, such warnings are not taken seriously until people fall victim to these unfortunate schemes. Some have fallen victim to this that is why EOCO has carried out thorough investigation on the matter and issued an alert to warn them against such fraudulent online business transactions.
It is very convenient to carry out business transactions to obtain the goods and services required, but people should go the extra mile to ensure that they protect themselves against such fraudsters.
In this connection, any little suspicion about such fraudulent online transactions should be quickly reported to the security agencies. This is how we can protect ourselves as responsible citizens.
Dear Editor,
I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’
Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.
But one may ask, would there ever be beds?
Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.
This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.
Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.
Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.
This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.
These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.
In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.
What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.
Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.
For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.
Thank you, Editor, for the space.
F. Morgan, Kokrobite
Dear Editor,
THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.
Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’
This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.
Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.
Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.
Princess Wonovi
Accra
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
