This year Europe encountered a sharp increase in energy prices, triggered by the russian invasion of Ukraine. So, many customers started to seek alternative heating resources. Many countries, including the Netherlands, noticed increased wood-burning stoves and firewood sales. However, not all of the sellers provide the requested goods. The National Hotline for Internet Scams, a department of the Dutch police, published a warning message.
The scammers usually charge between 100 to 500 euros for firewood and 450 to 3000 euros for the stoves. No orders are fulfilled, so the customers who place the orders are just losing money.
At the moment, there are five such fake sites online:
- Ecogischhout.nl
- Elektroheiz.com
- Kaufenholz.com
- Raysol-pellets.nl
- Wooder-be.com
However, the list isn’t complete. New sites are constantly appearing, and the number of fake stores is expected to grow even more sharply before the winter. So, the police recommend checking the website’s Chamber of Commerce number, VAT number, and a real postal address. Also, such detail as the very recent domain registration date and having only manual bank transfer as a payment option are suspicious.
Image credit: Photo by Obed Hernández on Unsplash
