Be careful when buying heating oil: Police warn of dangerous fake shops!

Be careful when buying heating oil: Police warn of dangerous fake shops!

Reutlingen (ots)

Police in Reutlingen are urgently warning of a growing scam targeting consumers in need of heating oil and other fuels. Time and again, unsuspecting buyers end up in so-called fake shops, where temptingly cheap offers for heating oil and wood pellets are doing the rounds. In the joy of the bargain, many are quickly inclined to invest their money, only to soon discover that there is nothing but fraud behind the offer.

Whenever an order is placed, buyers are usually faced with unexpected additional costs in the form of exorbitant delivery fees or the strict requirement for advance payment. In most cases, the promised heating oil does not arrive and the alleged seller is suddenly no longer available. These worrying practices have already led to numerous victims in the districts of Reutlingen, Esslingen, Tübingen and Zollernalbkreis.

incidents in the region

A specific case concerns a consumer from the Zollernalb district who recently ordered 6,000 liters of heating oil via an online shop. He paid about 2,500 euros in advance, but the heating oil was never delivered and he couldn't get his money back. In contrast, a 49-year-old man from Reutlingen was luckier. He noticed in time that a fraudulent offer was waiting for him and reported the incident before making his targeted payment of 1,700 euros.

The police have registered several dozen such cases of fraud among citizens in a short period of time. It is an alarming development that the security authorities are actively following.

Tips to avoid scams

To avoid these unnecessary financial losses, the police recommend the following precautionary measures:

• Seien Sie skeptisch, wenn ein Angebot zu schön klingt, um wahr zu sein.
• Vorkasse sollte als hohe Alarmglocke fungieren. Überlegen Sie es sich gut, bevor Sie diesen Zahlungsweg wählen.
• Lassen Sie sich von vermeintlich günstigen Angeboten nicht in die Enge treiben.
• Überprüfen Sie die Seriosität des Anbieters gründlich: Gibt es mehrere Zahlungsmethoden? Existiert ein Impressum? Sind die Lieferbedingungen klar und transparent dargestellt? Gibt es allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen?

In addition, slightly different email addresses of fake shops can be another indication of fraud. Before placing an order, consumers are advised to find out more on the consumer advice center's website, where they can use the "Fake Shop Finder" to check sales portals in order to expose fraudsters. More information is available on the consumer advice center website available.