The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), controlled by the Bangladesh Bank, has summoned the accounts and transaction information of seven e-commerce companies from different banks, including Alesha Mart, as part of monitoring e-commerce businesses.
The companies are: Alesha Mart, Dhamaka Shopping, Sirajganj Shop, Aladiner Prodip, Boom Boom Shopping, Adyan Mart and Need Shop. Banks have been asked to send all the transaction information of these companies within a week of receiving the letter.
In a letter sent to the banks by BFIU on Tuesday it was stated that it has to be disclosed if any account of these companies has been conducted in the name of a person concerned now or in the past. At the same time, they have been asked to send the account opening form, KYC profile, updated transaction details from the beginning.
Earlier, Hafizur Rahman, Additional Secretary (Director General, WTO Cell) of the Ministry of Commerce, said that the seller would get the price once a customer sends a delivery message after receiving the product. And this process will be controlled by Bangladesh Bank. This money will be transacted through the gateway of the central bank. His advice, however, was that customers make purchases using means such as debit or credit cards, bKash or Nagad. They should not pay cash in advance.
Recently, a number of banks suspended card transactions with Evaly, e-Orange and Qcoom in addition to these seven companies.
Earlier, several banks had suspended credit, debit and prepaid card transactions at 10 online merchants, including Evaly and Alesha Mart. Dutch Bangla, Prime Bank, Mutual Trust Bank (MTB), BRAC Bank, Bank Asia, Dhaka Bank, UCB and City Bank have banned transactions in these online merchants.
In the last few years, a number of e-commerce sites have emerged in Bangladesh, which are selling products with unbelievable discounts to the customers. But customers had to pay first and they delivered the product after a certain period of time. However, there are allegations of delay in delivery of goods even after advance payment. Moreover, there are questions on their business strategy. This leads the mass people to wonder and be doubtful.
There are allegations against these e-commerce companies that they sell products at much lower prices than the market price in the name of various offers. They allegedly take money long before product delivery and do not deliver products on time. Payment for the goods ordered by the buyer is not even credited to the account of the seller until the goods are received.
