I got an email this morning from eBay’s Head of Trust and Safety. It’s a job title that you don’t often come across. The role might seem odd to some but it doesn’t surprise me at all.

Just today a new report is published about UK Internet user concerns, which says that four in ten of us worry about online fraud. Worry might be to light a word as the report places fear of online fraud above fear of gun crime and contracting MRSA in hospital. It’s a genuine concern.

The big online companies recognise this and many are working hard to come across as transparent, genuine and user friendly. eBay’s Head of Trust and Safety is on the case to reassure customers today. Garreth Griffith says “we’ve seen an increase in the bad experiences members face due to two factors: increased fraud across the internet and a very small proportion of sellers who fail to deliver a positive buyer experience.” His email then continues by listing all the positive actions eBay are taking in the fight against fraud.

At the other end of the Net, we have advertisers recognising where consumers are going and building online awareness of offline products. Cadbury, untouched by online fraud is using outlets like YouTube this year as it ramps up it’s online spend into the millions.

However, they shouldn’t forget though that the other escalating fear online is that of the safety of social networking sites, who are also having to put in place measures to reassure users that they are logging on to a safe environment.

No related posts.