A man found himself ensnared in an unexpected honey trap when someone he believed to be a woman befriended him on Facebook.
Over the course of several weeks of friendly conversation, the supposed woman persuaded him to send her a brand-new mobile phone via a courier service. Trusting her sincerity, he booked the parcel for self-collection and even paid extra for insurance, never imagining that he was being lured into a carefully planned scam.
On the day of collection, the parcel was not received by the woman he believed he knew. Instead, a man posing as her brother collected the phone. He was, in fact, the same individual who had been communicating with the victim online. The courier company delivered the insured parcel without verifying the recipient's identity, thereby allowing the impersonator to abscond with the device. Feeling cheated, the victim issued a legal notice and subsequently filed a complaint before the consumer court, arguing that the courier company’s negligence had enabled the fraud.
The consumer court agreed and awarded compensation for financial loss, emotional distress and inconvenience. The courier company appealed, and the case ultimately reached the Lahore High Court. In June 2025, after reviewing the facts and noting the admitted failure to verify identity in self-collection and insured service, the high court dismissed the appeal and upheld a compensation amount of Rs124,000.
What began as an online deception ultimately became a legal milestone, highlighting the importance of responsible service delivery and vigilance in an increasingly digital economy.
This case represents a notable success within Pakistan’s consumer protection framework, which operates across the four provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory. The framework began to evolve after 1995, with the enactment of the Islamabad Consumer Protection Law, which was later replicated by other provincial legislatures. These laws were initially designed to address disputes arising from small-scale transactions. Typically, complaints begin before district government–managed councils and, if unresolved, proceed to consumer courts or district courts exercising consumer jurisdiction.
However, this nearly three-decade-old legislative architecture is under growing strain due to the rapid expansion of e-commerce and digital markets. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the value of e-commerce transactions has reached approximately Rs406 billion, raising an urgent question: are existing consumer protection laws fit for the digital consumer of 2030?
Recent international policy discussions have highlighted the forces reshaping consumer experiences, including the rise in online scams, increasing financial vulnerability and the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence and data-driven business models. The conclusion is clear: consumer protection and innovation must advance together.
The Punjab government has recently amended its consumer law to include both online and offline transactions explicitly and has abolished exclusive consumer courts. While these steps indicate progress, they remain insufficient to address the complexities of today’s digital marketplace. Pakistan urgently needs a comprehensive digital consumer protection system, modelled on the Prime Minister’s Citizen Portal, through which complaints against any federal entity can be filed and resolved on a single, integrated platform. This system should be complemented by the establishment of a Digital Consumer Court to enable online filing, electronic submission of evidence, virtual hearings and time-bound adjudication of consumer disputes, particularly those arising from e-commerce and digital services.
Such a system should be supported by a nationwide consumer helpline (a single app) that covers all three tiers of government. This helpline should guide consumers on how to file complaints, collect and submit evidence, and pursue timely redress.
All major regulatory bodies -- including PSQCA, PTA, Nepra, Ogra, the Banking Ombudsman, Competition Commission of Pakistan, health regulators, laboratory accreditation bodies, provincial food authorities, standards authorities and district-level price and quality control bodies -- must be integrated into a unified national complaints mechanism.
AI–based tools can assist in evaluating evidence to enhance transparency, consistency, and fairness. A Federal Consumer Protection Policy, developed in coordination with provincial governments, is urgently required and should be supported by a single helpline or centralised contact point.
In line with the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, businesses must treat consumers fairly, honestly and equitably at all stages of commercial engagement, whether online or offline. This requires avoiding illegal, unethical, discriminatory or deceptive practices such as misleading advertising, abusive marketing, or unfair debt collection. Consumer protection must be embedded as a core business objective rather than treated as a procedural obligation.
To enable informed consumer decision-making, businesses should ensure full disclosure and transparency by providing accurate, clear and easily accessible information regarding goods, services, pricing, fees and contractual terms, regardless of the technology used. They must also safeguard consumer privacy through effective data protection, security and consent mechanisms, while ensuring accessible, affordable and speedy complaint-handling and dispute-resolution systems.
Business chambers such as the Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Pakistan Business Council, the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry, big businesses and shopping malls must also assume responsibility by developing and enforcing self-regulatory codes of ethics across their member organisations. These codes should ensure clarity of information, fairness in contract terms, transparent processes for confirmation, cancellation, returns and refunds, effective dispute resolution, and strong consumer data protection standards.
Only through coordinated legal, institutional and technological reforms can Pakistan build a modern, efficient and consumer-centric redressal system for this digital age.
The writer works on consumer protection policy and regulations, and is a member of the 19-member advisory council of Consumer International. He can be reached at: [email protected]
