Firewood prices have been soaring since the beginning of the summer with a 20% increase.
Some do not hesitate to create fake ads on the internet to defraud customers.
Aurore, 40, paid the price.
This Tournaisienne spots a post on Facebook that offers "
very dry wood ready to be burned
[sic]
this winter
".
The price defies competition, at 40 euros per cubic meter.
Aurore contacts the seller, a certain Datel Geraudin, to order five cubic meters of wood.
The man responds quickly, and promises “
delivery within a maximum of seven days
”.
The seller then asks Aurore to pay 70 euros down payment out of a total of 240 euros.
The transfer is to be made on an IBAN, which he sends directly via Facebook.
The forty-year-old performs the transaction with her eyes closed.
An hour and a half later, his bank calls him to tell him that it is a scam.
ING had already registered this RIB as being fraudulent.
The organization thus manages to block the transfer, which makes it possible not to debit Aurore's account.
Datel Geraudin's ad is still available on Facebook.
Contacted by
Le Figaro
, the seller repeats the same procedure and could make new victims.
“It is better to go directly to the store”
For its part, the stoparnaque.com site, which lists online scams, points out that these firewood scams “
represent several hundred reports since the beginning of the year
”, especially “
from the month of March
”.
The operating mode is similar to the various announcements: “
once payment has been made, the seller no longer responds or the site no longer exists
”.
If you are a victim of this type of scam, the site recommends that you “
contact your bank quickly
” and “
enter the DGCCRF via the online service
signal.conso.gouv.fr
”.
If you are still looking for firewood, StopArnaque.com advises not to be blinded “
by offers that are too attractive
”.
"
In order to avoid any unpleasant surprises, it is better to go directly to the store
", completes the platform.
She specifies that “
for those who still wish to buy online, it is better to favor the shops of the major DIY brands and recognized material suppliers
”.
Finally, it is also possible to check customer reviews “
with trusted third parties such as Trustpilot or Verified Reviews, which sometimes helps to avoid unpleasant surprises
”.
