We get screwed at every step

The level of mutual trust among entrepreneurs in Poland is relatively low compared with other countries. Studies, such as those carried out by the World Economic Forum or the European Values Study, show that Poland is characterised by a low level of so-called social capital, which is measured, among other things, by mutual trust between people, including in the business environment.

A low level of trust has consequences for the functioning of business, because it hinders cooperation, limits the flow of information and innovation, which can slow down economic development. Frequent changes in the law, the unpredictability of regulations and complicated administrative processes can make entrepreneurs afraid of cooperation and unsure about long-term commitments.

Such a situation is a paradise for fraudsters, cybercriminals and simply thieves.

We get screwed everywhere by everyone. Banks cheated us on Swiss-franc loans, financial pyramids of the Amber Gold class are an everyday thing.

In my industry there are thousands of dishonest advertising and marketing agencies, website creators and SEO companies that screw their clients on a massive scale.

Every day you can read about badly made websites with, e.g., stolen photos, non-working forms, for which the agency took several thousand złoty. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a real paradise for peddling nonsense, foisting unattractive contracts on clients that are hard to terminate, and so on. Advertising agencies that falsify reports on ad results and don't give their clients access to them - that's the norm in this industry. Site creators who register clients' domains in their own name and then blackmail them with fees - today alone I helped 7 people with this issue.

So where does the problem lie? In my opinion the problem is in education, or rather the lack of it.

"The five most efficient cyber defenders are: Anticipation, Education, Detection, Reaction and Resilience. Do remember: 'Cybersecurity is much more than an IT topic.'" – Stephane Nappo

There would be significantly fewer fraudsters if there weren't so many naive people who believe in magical quick earnings, high positions in search engines, or that their site for 500 zł will earn millions two days after launch.

Working in the broadly understood internet industry, I have the impression that people prefer to let themselves be cheated rather than make the effort and understand how their business works online, what a domain is, what the server on which they have their shop and site is, how to send an email correctly and so on. They prefer to believe that with a magic click they'll install a plugin for the site that will protect them from cyberattacks, and that the SEO company they pay 200 zł a month will make millionaires of them. To me that's terrifying!

At every step I meet owners of internet businesses who say they're non-technical and you can convince them of literally anything. To run a business online and not let yourself be cheated - you have to educate yourself! It puzzles me that when these same people build their dream house, they get a doctorate in building insulation technology so their builder doesn't screw them, but devoting a moment to understanding what the CC and BCC fields in an email are ends the same way: "I'm non-technical and it'll work out somehow".

That's exactly what fraudsters and cybercriminals exploit. They offer quick earnings, easy money, inheritances from African kings, high positions in Google and so on. If it's so simple and quick, then why aren't there nothing but millionaires walking around you?

So if you don't want to be screwed online at every step, start learning and understanding how technology works. For better or worse, it's been imposed on us, and digital exclusion is a serious problem.