Potential risk of online transaction in Vietnam and its consequences

The 4.0 Industrial Revolution has developed significantly, which results in the transformation and breakthrough of all areas of the globe. Besides, the Internet and social network has got more popular and become an indispensable part of modern life. Online business, therefore, is formed and conducted the most frequently on social networking platforms. In the process of doing online business on this platform, many potential risks arise and depending on the situation, the people taking part in the transaction might need to involve the business consultant or risk management consultant to assist proving advice or consultancy service to address the matters.

First and foremost, it is very difficult and complicated to determine the identity of the subjects partaking in the social networking platforms in general and conducting business activities on these platforms in particular. Unlike e-commerce platforms which register operation with authorities, which require the sellers to verify their information before doing business, the social network environment allows anyone to participate in without revealing their true identities exposed. User will have an account that may or may not provide their true information after only a few basic registration procedures. As a result, many people have taken advantage of this feature of social networks to commit illegal acts in business activities. There are instances in Vietnam for fraud to appropriate property on a social network which the offender using an account on a popular social network with a fake name, using other people’s photos as his avatar.  Next, he bought a fake ID card and used it to set up some bank accounts to start committing fraud. Although he did not have products for sale, but he still posted ads with pictures of selling products at cheap prices on his social network account. If customers wanted to buy, he asked them to transfer money first and promised to send the products to them by post soon after. However, when receiving the money from the customer, he did not send the goods and temporarily locked his account.  Beside fraudulent activities, seller’s information is not checked or confirmed, allowing unscrupulous people to readily impersonate others for profit. It is not unusual for prominent business professionals or influencers to be faked on social networking platforms. This action jeopardizes the honor and reputation of those who are exploited while also affecting a large number of legitimate business people. Thus, the fact that social networks do not require business entities to verify their identities, despite helping conduct business procedures quickly and conveniently, causes many problems mentioned before, directly affecting the right to conduct business, benefit customers and stakeholders.

Secondly, no authorities have the possibility to guarantee absolutely the quality of items traded on social networks. The goods listed for sale are extremely diverse in quantity, type and design. Each business subject can sell hundreds of products per day and there are many business subjects on one social networking platform. Therefore, governmental agencies are unable to oversee and manage the origin and quality of each product and service. Many of goods for sales are prohibited or barred from trading. At the same time, sellers can sell fake goods, counterfeit, provide poor-quality ones or sell unknown-origin ones to customers in order to maximize profits. The most serious consequence of trading in unqualified goods is affecting the health of customers.

Thirdly, although Vietnamlaw imposes taxs on business subjects, it is difficult to collect taxes from organizations and individuals conducting business on social networks. That reduces state revenue and creates an unfavorable competitive climate for other sorts of enterprises. The reason is that business on social networks is based on technology, and it is easy to modify and delete information online, so it creates difficulties in identifying and verifying the number of business people and capturing transactions.  This situation can be characterized as unfair competition, which is upsetting and unstable for the economy.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

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