Extracts from
Westminster Hall debate on Support for SMEs: Covid-19
(Bexhill and Battle) (Con):...Despite the
restrictions, the bigger operatives such as supermarkets are able
to open up to all while smaller businesses complain that they are
unable to open, which is regrettable. Having said that, we saw what
happened in Wales when supermarkets tried to close certain
aisles—it simply does not work. I want to focus instead on what we
can all do before Christmas, because all retail businesses are able
to open online. I would like to see a national campaign focused on
November, a crucial month for many small and medium-sized
enterprises, so that we buy local. Ultimately, we need to
discourage people from doing their Christmas shopping on
Amazon. A good example is a bookshop in Battle,
Rother Books. We can buy its books through an online organisation
called Bookshop.org, whereby the local bookstore gets the profits
that it would receive if someone had purchased in the shop. I urge
hon. Members to look at that for their constituents. I am also
really encouraged by my Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex, the
chambers of commerce, which is appealing for people to buy local,
buy later and buy local online. I very much hope that constituents
will do that. Again, it is important that we all take the lead and
show our residents and constituents how they can find those
businesses, and it is important that businesses innovate so that
they are able to open during what will be a difficult month...
(Thirsk and Malton) (Con):...As my hon. Friend the
Member for Bexhill and Battle () said, when large swathes of the economy are shut down
but some parts are left open, existing trends are
accelerated. Amazon of course, is doing very
well through this recession and has eaten further into the market
share of SMEs. The fact that supermarkets are allowed to open again
chips away at the market share of SMEs and accelerates long-term
trends. As a result, some businesses that might have got through
this had it been done in a more progressive and gradual way will be
destroyed forever...
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Extracts from
Westminster Hall debate on Online Scams
(Makerfield) (Lab):...There are lots of ways in which
scammers operate; they use different tricks. These include fake
websites or adverts, particularly involving established brands;
they sometimes feature fake celebrity endorsements. Fake reviews
are a big problem on many of the biggest websites. Which? has
consistently shown that. The consumer body has had evidence of fake
and suspicious review activity on eBay, Facebook and Tripadvisor.
And new research suggests that Amazon is
struggling to spot and prevent sellers from using unscrupulous
tactics. There is blatant evidence of sellers using free gifts and
vouchers to incentivise shoppers to write positive reviews. Many
are done in a suspiciously short time, with a suspiciously high
number of review images. There was a more than 30% rise in the
proportion of suspicious reviews on Amazon between
March and August, following the first coronavirus lockdown. Black
Friday is coming shortly, and this is particularly worrying for
that.
That is important because everyone takes notice of online
reviews. I look at the reviews to decide when I buy something.
The Competition and Markets Authority estimates that consumer
transactions worth £23 billion a year are influenced by online
reviews. Many people think, “Well, they’re a good guide—they must
be; this has a five-star review.” Amazon says it
has clear policies that prohibit sellers from engaging in such
activity, but Which? is concerned that the approach is not
effective and that firmer action is needed to address the
problems. I agree and I hope the Minister will, too...
...We find that people build up a relationship with their
scammers. Trust is key for push payments, as we have heard. I
also want to talk quickly about romance scams, in which lonely
victims are lured into pretend relationships over many months.
They are tempted with fake photographs and back stories, and the
scam is revealed only after thousands of pounds have been handed
over, probably for non-existent medical treatment for a relation.
I have a constituent who handed over thousands of pounds
of Amazon vouchers to a fake USA
army major. The photograph on his Facebook page had been used
more than 50 times with different names to scam people. Surely
Facebook should have an algorithm that spots that type of
suspicious activity...
...Will the Minister also look into the fact that many
criminals, particularly in romance-type frauds, have moved on to
asking for Amazon vouchers?
What can be done in cases such as that of my constituent,
who bought thousands of pounds-worth of Amazon vouchers and sent them
abroad?
To read the whole debate, CLICK
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