Digital Devastation: Somalis Struggle with Exploitative Online Scams and Wagering Applications
Leyla Mohamed (Ugbaad), a phone user, tells the story of Ahmed Hussein Ali's family in Elasha-Biyaha, who fell into poverty overnight due to losing savings to an online scam called Trade Bot. Ahmed invested his entire $400 savings into Trade Bot after falling for their promises of wealth. Unfortunately, the website went offline shortly after, leaving Ahmed with nothing. He regrets not being more cautious and wishes he could go back to running his roadside stall. The family now relies on relatives for food, as they used to…