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Victims of fraud
12/26/2005
PEOPLE in increasing numbers in the country are falling victim to the fraudulent activities of so-called commission-based organisations, non governmental organisations (NGOs), savings bodies, manpower agents, etc.
Fraud organisations -- promising jobs to unemployed youths -- collect security deposits running into millions of taka and all on a sudden vanish undetected leaving the victims to lament their ill luck. In other cases, unauthorised bank-like operators mop up huge savings from people, promising interest rates on their savings much above the prevalent ones in the mainstream banking system of the country. Such illegal bankers may even give such interest rate -- and reliably for a while to build up people's confidence on them. Once the deposits swell into handsome amounts, they usually disappear without any trace.
All of these types of fraudulent practices are rising in the country. A few such rackets were detected and actions taken against them. But the same is not enough. On the one hand, people's awareness about the frauds must be increased with continuous publicity in the mass media and, on the other, vigilance and actions of law enforcement bodies ought to much increase in relation to these fraudulent activities. Poor people in this country -- one of the world's poorest ones -- cannot afford to drain their meagre resources at the hands of such frauds.
S A Alam
Khilgaon, Dhaka
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