The consumer advice center warns against these fake shops
Fake online shops are a popular scam among criminals on the Internet. The Lower Saxony Consumer Center has now uncovered a new variant of fraud in fake shops and warns against very specific web addresses.
In recent days, the Lower Saxony Consumer Center has received an increasing number of complaints about fake shops that follow a very specific pattern. Because their web address is always structured the same and this is how fraud can be recognized.
It is apparently completely irrelevant which products are in the online shop. Because everything is here, from toys to technology to pet supplies, says the consumer advice center.
Fraud in fake shops: Be careful with these web addresses
The Lower Saxony Consumer Center points out that the addresses of the shops always follow the same pattern. These are always structured with a first name and a last name as follows: “First name-last name.Shop”.
Several such combinations have already appeared, including “monika-jung.shop”, “peter-schneider.shop” and “frank-hildebrandt.shop”. Consumers should also pay attention to such a URL, as the criminal background of the shops is often not visible.
According to the consumer advice center, the pages themselves look professional and even have an imprint. However, this information was stolen from somewhere else.
“We are currently seeing fake shops that follow a certain pattern,” explains Kathrin Bartsch from the Lower Saxony Consumer Center. The legal expert also points out: “The shops are listed on Google Shopping. At first glance they look professional. Most of the time, large images advertise the products on offer.”
However, if you know the pattern, you can expose them quite easily, especially since there is no VAT identification number and the general terms and conditions are always written in the same style.
The criminals would quickly take some fake shops offline again. Others are available online for longer.
This is how you can protect yourself from fraud
But the lack of a VAT ID or the conspicuous terms and conditions are not the only means of exposing fraud in fake shops. The consumer advice center expressly points out its fake shop finder again.
Here you can simply enter a URL, which will then be checked by the fake shop finder. You will then receive an assessment of the respective shop using a traffic light system.
For example, at the URL to the fake shop “monika-jung.shop” you will receive a red traffic light and a message that the URL shows signs of a fake shop. You will also be given various reasons for this decision.