It was shocking to hear on Tuesday evening that one of I.G’s favourite girls, style blogger and host, Lharley Lartey was duped on social media.
But her latest ordeal has also shed light on the growing number of unscrupulous people masquerading as legitimate vendors on social media.
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Now! this why I like to pay on delivery. This fine madam “Sister Gifty Garley” decided to show me pepper by blocking me after she insisted I make payments before delivery. Asem ooo!! Pleas don’t be her next victim. The page is @srees_closet” posted the blogger who has accrued over 300k followers on the social media app.
Speaking to a Braperucci news correspondent, Lharley said the vendor in question had promised to deliver a Zara blazer to her after a certain period. However, after close to 4 hours, there were no signs of dispatch or communication from the vendor.
Several frantic efforts to reach her via call or text to get the order sorted proved futile even after 24 hours.
“I could see her posting new products on her I.G yet she wouldn’t pick my calls or respond to my messages hence my decision to go public with the matter,” she explained.
The instagram vendor who has since changed her handle after followers of the blogger took to social media to unmask her has still not spoken about the issue.
“I am not perfect,” said the award-winning social media star “and it was not my aim to step on any foot or deride anyone’s hustle but this is my money involved and I needed others to see that social media can have its good and bad side too.”
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According to Lharley, she was sceptical about the price but gave the vendor the benefit of the doubt only to be scammed in this manner.
“The cheapest outfit from Zara is probably their crop top or something simple and having a blazer dress going for 150 cedis made me doubt if it was original, but it took me a lot of convincing to make the order.”
Social media scare
Social media has become a panacea for some of the problems we face in our world including convenience when it comes to shopping.
However, with the rise of online scammers and fake pages, it poses a worry for consumers especially Ghanaians who are gradually buying into the idea of online shopping and retail.
“Social media and online retail is a fairly new idea in the Ghanaian digital space and with over 7 million users who use the various platforms for news, education, shopping and connecting with friends, this can cause them to worry about how safe it is to do business online,” said Yaw, a digital communication analyst based in Accra.
Social media influencer and advocacy
The rather sad turn of event has become a teachable moment for the blogger who is using the opportunity to educate her followers and addressing concerns of other vendors.
“I have a voice,” Lharley acknowledged “I have a huge following and people check me out so I’m using my platform to speak out against it so it doesn’t happen to the next victim.
Since her public statement, several voices and brands have joined the movement including French Ghanaian actress Haillie Sumney.
“We want to make the internet a space for doing business and so far other people have entered my DM’s to tell me about their issues with IG vendors and vice versa”
Lharley doesn’t have plans of backing down until the culprit is apprehended. She’s already launched a complaint with Vodafone, the brand’s service provider; looking to block her from further scamming others.
Hopefully, this will be a lesson the others plying the same route.