Consumer advice center warns of fake shops with cheap heating oil

Falling low heating oil prices can indicate fraudulent websites. The consumer advice center advises thoroughly checking the providers.

• Consumer advice center warns of fraudulent heating oil websites
• Due to low prices, the suspicion is obvious
• Be careful with advance payments in online trading
• Use the fake shop finder from the NRW consumer advice center

The temperatures have dropped, autumn is just around the corner. For many people in Germany, this means that heating systems are being switched on again for the first time in a long time. At the start of the heating season, the North Rhine-Westphalian consumer advice center is warning against fraudulent websites that lure customers with cheap heating oil. This is according to a statement from the NRW consumer advice center on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

Be careful with advance payments: Consumer advice center issues warning at the start of the heating season

The warning is based on a recent case: a consumer contacted the consumer advice center after she almost came across a fraudulent website. She was looking for cheap heating oil prices and came across the portal heiz-oel24.com, which offered noticeably low prices.

After the lady made an inquiry, she received a call from a Berlin number in which her husband explained that they had to pay 50 percent of the purchase price in advance. Her suspicions were aroused when she learned that advance payment was unusual for heating oil orders, whereupon the call was abruptly ended.

Research revealed that it is a fake shop that is operated in Russia. “It is one of numerous fake shops that are currently luring customers with offers of heating oil and firewood,” explains Iwona Husemann, a lawyer at the NRW consumer advice center. “We recommend that you thoroughly check the reliability of the provider before placing an order and be particularly cautious with unusual payment terms, especially advance payment.”

Recognizing fake shops: Four tips from the expert

The expert from the NRW Consumer Advice Center explains how to recognize fraudulent transactions.

• For strikingly cheap products suspicious Become: Shortly before the start of the heating season, fake shops lure in customers with cheap heating oil prices. Fraudsters take advantage when goods are in high demand seasonally or are not available in reputable shops. In summer, fake shops sell garden tools or barbecue accessories, and at Christmas time, they sell electronic goods. Such shops often resemble those of reputable providers. The design of the websites also appears authentic at first glance. Only on closer inspection do you notice any irregularities, such as fictitious quality seals or the lack of an imprint.
• All Check details: Before placing an order, consumers should carefully check the following in an online shop: Are there various payment methods – including customer-friendly ones – or is prepayment the only option at the end of the ordering process? Is there a verifiable provider address in the imprint? Are the offer and price specified with all the necessary details? Are delivery conditions and costs adequately presented? Are the general terms and conditions (GTC) and information on cancellation available? Is a trustworthy seal of approval such as “Trusted Shops Guarantee” (Trusted Shops), “s@fer-shopping” (TÜV Süd) and “Certified Online Shop EHI” (EHI Retail Institute GmbH) advertised? However, such seals only offer reliable orientation if you click on the logo and are redirected to the website of the testing company.
• At Prepayment Be careful: Consumers are on the safe side if they only order goods from online retailers who offer several customer-friendly payment methods before clicking the purchase button. For example, payments on account or by direct debit are safe. When paying on account, payment does not have to be made until the goods have arrived. When paying by direct debit, the payment can be recalled for up to eight weeks.
• Free Fakeshop Finder use: The fake shop finder from the NRW consumer advice center uses artificial intelligence to continuously search for fake shops on the Internet. Various characteristics that are often found in dubious shops are checked – such as the lack of an imprint, an invalid VAT ID or technical, linguistic and structural irregularities. Consumers simply enter the URL of the shop they are interested in on the page and receive a result in traffic light form within a few seconds: red for a clear warning, yellow as a reminder to take a closer look before ordering and green if everything is OK.

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