Firewood scarce due to energy crisis: Police warn of fake shops - and give tips
Created: 09/08/2022, 16:17
By: Tanja Kipke
Rising energy prices allow scammers to get creative.
Several people have already fallen for online fake shops offering firewood and pellets.
Munich/Passau – The energy crisis is affecting several sectors.
The prices are rising enormously, which has already made firewood scarce in some districts.
Since the demand for the wood is so great, scammers have apparently seen their chance.
The Lower Bavaria police warn of fake shops for firewood and pellets.
There have already been several cases of fraud.
The officials give tips on how to spot a fake shop.
Firewood scarce due to energy crisis: police describe cases of fraud by fake shops
In Lower Bavaria, several cases have become known in the past few days in which people have fallen for such fake shops.
According to the police, a man in Wallersdorf ordered several pallets of pellets on an internet site, which were never delivered despite payment.
A man from Peitling, who ordered two tons of wood, had a similar experience.
Since the delivery was supposedly only possible with prepayment, the man transferred several hundred euros.
He never got even a pellet.
A woman from Kehlheim also transferred 800 euros to a French account, but the desired pellets were not delivered.
Fake shops offer firewood and pellets on the Internet, and the police warn of the scammers.
© Antonio Gravante/Imago
"At first glance, the website looks professional and deceptively real," warns the police.
It is not uncommon for there to be an imprint at the end of the page with information about the supposed provider.
With a few clues, the fake shops can still be identified.
How to recognize fake shops:
Compare prices – is the price realistic given the current conditions?
A particularly low price is always a "bait" for fraudsters, especially for products that are currently in high demand.
Look for the imprint - does the company actually exist?
Look for reviews about the provider on the Internet - type the website into a search engine.
Often you will already find warnings about this fake shop here.
Beware of advance payment - if you are only offered this option, this could already be an alarm signal for a fraud site.
Anyone who discovers a suspicious platform on the Internet can report it to the police.
(tkip)
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