Our cooperation partner Watchlist Internet assumes that this boom will last longer and expand to include other gas alternatives.

The demand for firewood is exploding. Photovoltaic systems are already in short supply. The prices of these energy sources are skyrocketing. Internet fraudsters don't take long to arrive.

“Fake shops that offer alternative energy sources are currently booming,” says Thorsten Behrens, project manager of Watchlist Internet : “Criminals are exploiting current trends and crises.” Criminals are currently trying to make money from the energy crisis by selling in fraudulent online shops Offer firewood, solar systems, inverters or electricity storage.

“Anyone who orders from these shops and pays in advance loses the money transferred. The longed-for gas alternative will never be delivered,” warns Behrens. Consumers should therefore check the offers carefully. At first glance, many of these shops seem quite professional. However, there are ways to detect the fraud. For example, by searching for the shop watchlist-internet.at Most recently, the Watchlist Internet was able to expose the following sites as fake:

  • firewood-and-pellets.com
  • Guteholzwärme.de
  • mkw-energieholz.com
  • plessner-holz.com
  • pluriholz.com
  • solanex.de
  • solarnetz.at
  • top-brennholz.com
  • wald-brennholz.de
  • bestonlineshop.com

Expose fake shops yourself

Such fake shops are often only online for a short time. New ones are constantly being created that have a similar structure. It is therefore also important that consumers can recognize such fake shops themselves.

It helps to compare prices, especially for products that are in high demand, such as firewood, solar systems or electricity storage devices. “If a photovoltaic system is sold out in most shops, but is suddenly in stock on a site like solarnetz.at and at a price that is unusual for the market, there can only be one reason: there are criminals behind it who cash in and don’t deliver anything,” warns Behrens . “If at the end of the ordering process only advance payment via bank transfer is offered as a payment method, you should stay away from the shop.”

Another alarm signal: no imprint. In this case too, you should not order. However, cybercriminals are becoming increasingly professional. They invent legal notices or copy them from existing companies. In this case, you should search for the information on the Internet. Anyone who searches for the website often comes across reviews or even warnings.

Anyone who has already fallen for the fraud should contact their bank quickly and ask whether it is possible to reverse the amount paid. Apart from that, the only thing left to do is report it to the police.

About our cooperation partner Watchlist Internet

Watchlist Internet is an independent information platform about Internet fraud and fraud-like online traps from Austria. It provides information about current cases of fraud on the Internet and gives tips on how to protect yourself from common scams. Victims of internet fraud receive concrete instructions on what to do next. The Internet Watchlist is implemented by the ACR Institute Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications (ÖIAT) in close cooperation with the Internet Ombudsman's Office. The development of the project was and is made possible by the financial support of funding agencies and sponsors: Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Federal Ministry of the Interior - Federal Criminal Police Office, Federal Ministry of Digitalization and Economic Location, Federal Chamber of Labor, State of Lower Austria, willhaben internet service GmbH & Co KG, EXPERT Austria e.Gen., netidee.

How to recognize fake shops for firewood and pellets!


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