Second-hand online subscriptions are surging. But should you get one?

Ishmam Haque, a recent graduate from a private university, has a keen interest in global affairs and relies on reputable international media outlets for his daily news intake. Last week, eager to get a digital subscription of The New York Times, he went to his bank to endorse some dollars using his dual-currency supporting debit card.

Ishmam hesitated to allocate endorsement space on his passport for a meagre $8 monthly subscription fee. "It's silly. I cannot endure all the hassle for such a small amount, and I was not inclined to deposit $100 in my account without a clear purpose."

Eventually, he chose to endorse the $100, thinking he could use the remaining for future purchases or to help friends in need. 

However, his plans hit a roadblock when the bank, citing the ongoing dollar crisis, refused to allow debit card transactions in dollars. "The bank handed me a credit card application form if I need to transact in dollars."

Undeterred, Ishmam returned home and sought an alternative solution. "I found a Facebook page which managed me a one-month subscription to NYT for Tk1,000." How the page owners got this subscription is difficult to ascertain, but the legality of second-hand sales of subscriptions is dubious.

But Facebook is filled with such pages offering subscriptions, which you can buy without endorsing a single dollar.

Dollar shortage, banking hassle and a thriving business 

The appetite for quality content worldwide paved the way for a broader online subscription market in Bangladesh. Besides, people's need for digital products like premium software grew over time and boosted the business of these online platforms who sell access to digital products.

In 2016, when Netflix opened its doors to Bangladeshi subscribers, those without international credit cards initially resorted to sharing accounts purchased by others. 

But what started as a means of sharing account access among friends quickly evolved into a lucrative business opportunity.

Netflix's arrival opened the floodgates for a slew of online subscription services. Pages like Bongo Digital, Jersey Addy, Premium Goods, DeltaBox It 2.0 and so on offer these services through social media.

Bongo Digital provides subscriptions of various software and online services such as Google Drive, Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, etc.

"We can buy a Netflix account subscription for $10. We then give it to five people, each needing to pay us around Tk300. We make some profit in the middle. On one hand, customers do not have to pay for the whole account and on the other hand, they save themselves from the hassle of subscribing." said Neyamul Hasan Mimu, CEO of subscription service provider Bongo Digital (not to be confused with OTT platform Bongo BD). 

"Now you can pay us through bKash or Nagad for more than 400 subscriptions. So you don't even need a bank account, let alone a Visa or a Mastercard," he added.

Moshtak Ahmed also sells such digital products and subscriptions. He does not have a page, rather personally sells to his customers. 

"I can get dollars at a better exchange rate. I have connections with freelancers who get payment in dollars through Payoneer. They directly sell the dollars to me, it is better for both of us. Most subscription business owners work this way," he explained.

"As people need these services,  many companies like ours are coming into the scene but are having difficulty earning customers' trust initially," said Neyamul.

Some companies go even further to cash on content from global platforms like Netflix. By now you might have skipped at least a few Oneflix ads while browsing your Facebook feed. Claiming to be a comprehensive solution for movies and series, the company boasts affordability and the advantage of not requiring payment in dollars. 

TBS could not find the office address provided on their Facebook page.

Search for any kind of subscription or digital product and from the next minute, your Facebook feed will be flooded with hundreds of similar ads. 

But why do people buy from these pages?

First of all, accessing credit cards is not everyone's cup of tea. Nor do banks issue credit cards to all customers as there is a minimum transaction threshold for that. Also, not everyone needs it. And endorsing dollars requires having a passport, which many may not have. 

This banking literacy is not as common among ordinary people in Bangladesh as the desire to watch a new Netflix series. So for some, it is better for a middleman to take care of it.

Also, subscribing to some of the platforms is too expensive for many. So they opt for a shared account. 

From the perspective of business, companies can go for a wide range of offerings like family accounts, business accounts, bundle offers, multiple device offers, special day offers and so on. For a single user, these might be a tall order to avail.

New opportunity, new risks

It is a common pattern that many pages announce some lucrative offers and when you pay for a service, they block you right away and within a few days, the page itself vanishes. 

On the other hand, using a third party's card or account is not always safe. "Having others pay for you or using others' accounts is obviously risky. There is always the risk of being scammed," said Md Zakir Hossain Khan, deputy director, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). 

"With changes in technology, scammers innovate their ways. Once people would be scammed over phone calls, now it has shifted towards such online services. So as a user you should avoid such transactions," he added.

"This is basically using a middle man. This type of transaction is not legal and it always comes with risk. It is alway better to avoid such services. But then again, people need these," said  cybersecurity expert Professor BM Mainul Hossain at the Institute of Information Technology, Dhaka University.

"Sometimes many people share their own gmail id and password to buy google drive storage or other google products from such service providers, it is a flat out risk. The moment you give away your password, you give away the right to all of your privacy," he cautioned. 

Mainul Hossain repeatedly warns customers to be more cautious about who you are buying from. "You have to see if a page is doing the business for long enough or if it is just a new page. Look for authentic reviews and do not fall for anything too good to be true," he said.

"We often receive complaints about cyber scams, where individuals contribute money to various Facebook pages only to fall victim to scams. In such cases, the customer either gets blocked, the page disappears, or the phone number used for the transaction is switched off. Many people refrain from filing complaints because the amount involved is not significant enough for them to report to the police," stated Md Bayzidur Rahman, Assistant Commissioner of Cyber Crime Investigation, Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

"But insignificant amounts from a significant number of people is a huge amount for the scammers. So I would request people to avoid such transactions," he added. 

Should you get such subscriptions?

Russell T Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), expressed his concerns regarding the Oneflix model, describing it as a form of piracy. "You cannot expect to have all dishes at a single restaurant, the same principle applies to content. You have to accept it and refrain from jumping into such offers."

Ahmed highlighted the potential moral implications and the negative influence on the new generation.

When questioned about the legitimacy of their business model through their Facebook page, Oneflix sidestepped the inquiry and instead insisted on the purchase of their streaming service, priced at Tk390 for one screen per month and Tk1,490 for a one-year subscription. 

The marketing pitch of the likes of Oneflix revolves around the idea that subscribing to Netflix alone means missing out on content available on platforms like Amazon Prime and Disney (which are not officially available in Bangladesh). It can also be financially burdensome when customers directly subscribe to multiple services. 

Although it sounds like a revolutionary idea, the way they do it in the guise of 'content aggregation' is just piracy. These platforms download popular content from various sources, then upload those on their own platform and sell it to local customers. 

"If they don't have an official agreement with these platforms [whose content they download], they cannot do it. We will look into it," said BTRC deputy director Khan. 

According to the Copyright Act, 2000 (amended in 2005), copyright subsists in cinematographic films among other creative works. Both civil and criminal remedies are available in case of copyright infringement. 

Civil remedy includes compensation, prohibitory order, acquisition of copies etc. And violation of copyright leads to a criminal charge of minimum six months of imprisonment and a fine of minimum Tk50,000 and maximum Tk2,00,000. However,  this is one of the least practically applied acts of Bangladesh.

Although Ahmed has a firm stance against Oneflix's practices, he showed a more lenient perspective for businesses that provide second-hand subscriptions without causing any harm.

"In our country, certain business practices may appear unethical within the system, but there is a necessity for some collaborations," he said. 

Ahmed characterised it as a collaborative business, where individuals may share access to cards. Nevertheless, he stressed the importance of caution, urging consumers to thoroughly investigate and read reviews before engaging in any deals. As an additional precaution, he recommended opting for cash-on-delivery methods when possible.