All kinds of new things Media Markt supposedly has in its range... how about an accordion, hiking equipment or of course a forklift for home use?

 

Note: The Media Markt company has nothing to do with this attempted fraud. It has also fallen victim to criminals misusing the company's name.

Wow… so this fraud attempt actually kills the bird. Using the web address “mediamarktdirekt.de”, criminals are trying to literally take internet users for fools. For several years now, the trend has been towards professionally counterfeit online shops that are difficult to detect even for trained eyes.

Well, what can you say? At mediamarktdirekt there is no particular emphasis on “originality”. The stolen logo doesn't seem very serious in its compressed form, the entire website structure looks as if it was stuck in 1995. Anyone who doesn't mind this will become a little suspicious when they see the range. Because Media Markt seems to have radically expanded its offering. Instead of focusing on trivial household appliances, forklifts, tires, quads and entire PWK trailers have recently been offered.

If you want to stock up for your next forest trip, you'll also get your money's worth: the right outdoor outfit, the right chainsaw, an accordion for cozy campfire evenings and, of course, only the mini caravan is an option for overnight stays...

image

No more funny

But now butter the fish:

Ultimately, what makes a reputable site operator? Exactly. Transparency and seriousness. The imprint is the be-all and end-all of online shopping and not to forget the possible payment methods . Anyone who restricts the customer to “payment in advance” already has bad cards, and a stolen imprint, mixed from a Spanish branch and a German managing director, won’t help either…

Technically, orders on this website are completely normal, there is even a pseudo registration to get a good feeling. However, as soon as customers pay the purchase price, it is no longer possible to successfully contact the provider. The money is lost because the ordered goods are not available. In addition, criminals have personal information about their victims. You can use these to commit crimes under someone else's name.

The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center and the North Rhine-Westphalia State Criminal Police Office (LKA) have created an information list on the subject of fake shops, which we would like to share here:

Unmistakable identifying signs: none

  • Even experts can hardly tell at first glance whether the offers in online retail are always legitimate. Internet counterfeiters who only want customers to make money are becoming more and more perfect and perfidious when it comes to their fakes: By copying or forging product images and information from real websites, a fake shop on the Internet often appears deceptively real. In order to give the impression of seriousness, the imprint with the dealer address or the general terms and conditions (GTC) are also copied from other sites or are fictitious.

Check all information

  • Buyers should check the following points carefully in an online shop before placing an order: Are there several payment methods - including customer-friendly ones - and a verifiable provider address in the imprint? Are the offer and price provided with all necessary details, such as the nature of the product? Are delivery conditions and costs adequately presented? Are there general terms and conditions (GTC) and instructions on revocation? Is it advertised with a trustworthy seal of quality such as “Trusted Shop Guarantee” (Trusted Shops), “s@fer-shopping” (TÜV Süd) and “Verified Online Shop EHI” (EHI Retail Institute GmbH)? However, such seals only offer reliable orientation by clicking on the logo and being redirected to the testing company's homepage. MIMIKAMA

Be careful when paying in advance

  • Customers are offered several – including customer-friendly – ​​payment methods until they press the purchase button. Once they reach the checkout, customers suddenly have no choice: they only ask for an immediate transfer of the requested amount. Customers are on the safe side if they only order items from online retailers who offer several customer-friendly payment methods until they click on the purchase button. Payments are safe by invoice or direct debit. When paying by invoice, customers only have to pay when they have received the goods. If you pay by direct debit, the payment can be reversed for up to eight weeks.

Counterfeiters rip off things undetected

  • If those who have been scammed contact the company using the contact details provided to get the correct goods or the money they paid back, they are repeatedly put off. Letters with repayment requests are returned as undeliverable or remain unanswered. In most cases, those affected have one bad experience, but are left behind.

Fake shop victims are not defenseless

  • Anyone who has already transferred money should immediately ask their bank to reverse the payment. This is often still possible a few hours after an online order. With other payment methods, a payment can be reversed up to eight weeks after collection. The bank knows to what extent this applies. Basically, all receipts from online orders should be collected and saved. This includes the purchase contract, order confirmation, emails and a screenshot of the offer.

Those affected can have the printed documents checked at the NRW consumer advice center and file a criminal complaint with the police.

Tips from the NRW consumer advice center

Result:

This is a (not particularly well done) fake shop. We strongly advise against ordering anything via this website.

Mediamarktdirekt doesn't really have anything to do with the official Media Markt websites. The design differs significantly and the limited payment methods are also dubious.


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )