Fraudsters selling Econet eLearning bundles & not delivering data

eLearning bundles seem to be the only viable option for most learning institutions looking to adopt remote learning.

Because the way these bundles are purchased has so much human interaction involved this has opened the door for fraudsters who are now selling eLearning bundles. Well, selling is a stretch. They are taking people’s money and then not giving them anything in return.

Here’s one such example;

Please be advised that the number to which you sent your funds to is not an official Econet contact. For fraud cases we would advise that you make a police resort for full assistance. ^TBR

Econet Customer Support Via Twitter

Why was this possible in the first place?

To buy Econet’s eLearning bundle you have to actually reach out to an Econet representative and that gives fraudsters an opportunity to masquerade as said representatives and take people’s money.

Recently there were some changes regarding how these bundles are bought which will make it harder for ordinary folks to try to buy the bundles and by extension for fraudsters to try and sell them.

Below is an internal communication sent out to Econet staffers notifying them of the change in how they sell the bundles;

Please take note of the following changes with immediate effect.

1. All eLearning bundle requests are to come directly from institutions. None should be through study groups or classes.

2. Invoices should only be presented to institutions with customised email domains referencing the institution i.e. @msu.ac.zw or @falcon.co.zw (not Gmail)

Thank you, for your usual support.

This announcement is targeted at ordinary people who are being sold eLearning bundles but it will also affect fraudsters since WhatsApp groups are being formed by people who then buy these bundles on behalf of people.

The fact that these people are selling these bundles but not representing Econet when they do so creates a black market of sorts and the existence of such creates the opportunity for fraudsters since people are already accustomed to buying the bundles from someone other than Econet.

Most importantly however is for people buying the bundles for institutions to be aware that this is happening and to avoid buying from fraudsters.