This study examines the factors determining consumer fraud reporting in Kenya. It presents\ncross sectional evidence from data collected by the United Nations Office on Drugs and\nCrime and KIPPRA in 2009/2010. Descriptive results show that the most prevalent consumer\nfraud in Kenya is the proliferation of counterfeit goods. Using logit model, the study finds\nthat consumer fraud reporting is affected by the type of the fraud where proliferation of\ncounterfeit goods is important but negatively associated to reporting. This connotes that the\nmore people are victimized, the more they fail to report to the police or other relevant\nauthorities. This finding puts the fight against counterfeits into perspective perhaps\nunderpinning the important attention it needs to continue receiving from the government and\nother relevant institutions. More awareness by the Anti-Counterfeit agency (ACA) and other\nstakeholders, improved ACA capacity and better collaboration will enhance reporting and aid\ncurb trade in counterfeits. Additionally, perception of victims towards the police or other\nagencies positively impacts the reporting behavior of consumer fraud. Poor perception\ntowards the police impacts consumer fraud reporting significantly which means improving\nhow citizens perceive the police is important in fighting the consumer fraud problem. An\nimproved perception will create confidence in the security systems and people will be willing\nto file reports about economic crimes such as consumer fraud. Initiatives of reforming the\npolice to improve service delivery should be encouraged while also embracing their capacity\nbuilding on consumer crimes to enhance reporting and response.
Loading....