Beware of fraud: cheap firewood offers can be expensive

Beware of fraud: cheap firewood offers can be expensive

With autumn, not only cooling comes, but also the heating season. Unfortunately, this time also brings with it some frauds that can be found particularly on social networks and on the Internet. There are tempting offers for firewood, which often appear far too cheap and behind which there are usually nothing but fraud. The procedure is simple: customers are babled with unrealistically low prices, only to get there without the promised goods and their money.

An example of such a fraud occurred in Krems. A man paid 400 euros for firewood, which was offered by assurance of a fast delivery and additional "collateral". After the payment was made, the wood failed to materialize. An attempt to reclaim the money also failed when the supposed company asked for further fees for the return transfer. This is a typical case, as the head of the Consumer Advice of the Lower Austria Chamber of Lower Austria, Sandra Nowak, warns that sooner or later people have to find out that they have been trapped.

How to unmask fraudulent offers

In order to protect themselves from such scams, some simple steps are helpful that every internet user should consider before ordering. First of all, it is important to check the imprint of the online shop-if none exists, you should keep your fingers off the offer immediately. In addition, a quick search for customer reviews and experience reports can clarify whether the company is a serious company.

Another mistake is that the ending ".at" of an Internet address automatically provides the company's seriousness. Often these are foreign providers who are not subject to the same standards as domestic companies. "First you should ask yourself whether it is a good offer or whether the price is rather too low to be true," said Nowak. So consumers should be careful, because many bargains can ultimately become more expensive. Fraudsters often use the urgency and fear of price increases to collect money quickly.

fraud warnings of this kind are not only something that consumers warn for caution. They also serve as a memory that you should always keep a cool head when shopping online. In order to minimize gateways for fraud, the basic principles of safe online use remain relevant. For more information on this topic, the detailed report on noe.orf.at recommended.