How to protect yourself from fake shops

Our cooperation partner Watchlist Internet describes the most common types of fake shops and their identifying features here. Purchasing from a fake shop can really cost you dearly.

In 2022 alone, over 5,500 fake shops have been reported to the Internet Watchlist. This number is likely to increase over time. So that we can effectively warn against these websites, you can find our list of fraudulent online shops . Not all fake shops are created equal. A broad distinction can be made between three variants: fake shops that no or completely incorrect goods , fake shops that counterfeit brands or fake shops that only interested in data .

Great website – nothing behind it!

With this type of fake shop, the criminals rely on an excellently implemented website that can hardly be distinguished from those of real online shops. Higher-priced product groups such as technology, furnishings, sports equipment such as bicycles and e-bikes, or expensive tools are usually offered. But be careful: the products you order will never be delivered! These shops can be identified primarily by the fact that you advance or by bank transfer, even if alternative payment methods are advertised on the website.

If you transfer money to such a shop, it is usually lost. Therefore, before making a purchase, check the following points:

• How do you pay? If the shop advertises numerous payment methods that would allow you to make chargebacks, but only allows advance payment or Bitcoin payment when purchasing, stay away!
• Imprint checked? These fake shops may look real, but the companies behind them do not exist or the legal information has been stolen. Therefore, check the information in the legal notice for deficiencies. Does the company exist? Is the data stolen from another website?
• Prices realistic? Another question you should ask yourself is whether the prices on the site are realistic. Prices far below those of the competition are also unrealistic on the Internet. This is intended to lure you into making quick purchases.
• Read reviews? Look for testimonials. There may already be victims, or the site may be so new that no one has posted reviews yet. Even then, caution is advised because fake shops usually only exist for a short time.

Victims of these fake shops usually only have to go to the police. You should also try to contact your own bank to ask about the possibility of getting the money back. If the amount of money has already reached the target account, the target bank can be contacted. However, the chances of success are extremely low.

Inferior websites – wrong or inferior goods!

A second category of fake shops relies on extremely wide, sometimes unrelated product ranges that are automatically copied from classified advertising platforms such as Ebay and offers them on their own website at fictitious prices. Sometimes fashion shops are cheaply copied and their range is offered. Despite payment by credit card or, in rare cases, PayPal, only low-quality garbage that does not correspond to the advertised goods is delivered.

Please pay attention to the following points before placing an order so that you don't get into trouble with such fake shops:

• Imprint available? Such fake shops often do not provide an imprint on the website. If you can't find out anything about a provider or can only find an email address or a contact form, don't buy anything!
• Prices chosen arbitrarily? Not only does the range often seem randomly thrown together, but the prices are also completely unrealistic. 4.81 euros for a product that usually costs several hundred euros? There is fraud behind this!
• Domain inappropriate? The web addresses of these shops rarely match the shop. For example, if “pferdeklub-wien1999.at” sells car accessories, you should stay away.
• Have you taken a look at the legal texts? The terms and conditions - if they exist at all - can be a clear indication of fraud. In this type of fake shop, the texts sometimes make no sense or are riddled with linguistic errors.

If you have ordered from such a fake shop, contact your credit card provider and ask about the options for getting the money back. Please note that you can only seek a goodwill solution. When making a PayPal payment, it's best to try to claim buyer protection.

More types of fake shops

In addition to the types of fake shops already described, there are also those that specifically counterfeit brands and also advertise this. On the one hand, you run the risk of not receiving any goods for your money because they do not exist or they are intercepted in customs. On the other hand, you may be committing a criminal offense by placing an order.

Data octopuses are also It happens that after placing an order in a fake shop, several debits are suddenly made to your credit card. If such a debit occurs, contact your credit card provider immediately, as amounts that have been debited from you without your consent (e.g. amounts that were not adequately indicated at the time of purchase or that exceed the value of your order) are in accordance with § 67 Payment Services Act 2018 must be reimbursed by your payment service provider. Blocking the card is still usually unavoidable.

How to check reputable quality marks and certificates:

In order for genuine online shops to display reputable quality marks on their websites, they must go through strict testing procedures and meet certain criteria. Fraudulent online shops therefore often try to create trust using fake or fictitious certificates and quality marks. With reputable quality marks such as the Austrian E-Commerce Quality Mark, Trusted Shops or Trustmark Austria, you can easily check whether it is a genuine certificate by clicking on the quality mark logo. If it is not possible to click on a quality mark or if a link leads to nothing, you can search for the certified shops on the websites of the certification bodies. E.g. at www.guetezeichen.at/zertified-websites . If you don't find any indication of the authenticity of a quality mark there, you should be careful. Also make sure that you actually end up on the website of the respective certificate authorities and not just on a fake page that was also set up by the criminals.

Click on the Austrian E-Commerce Quality Mark logo and view the sample certificate:

Advice & Help
For specific advice requests, please contact the relevant offices that Watchlist Internet has listed for you Advice & Help

Source:

Watchlist Internet

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