Attention When Buying Heating Materials: What the Police Are Now Warning About

Currently, there is an increase in a scam where customers' advance payments are withheld without any goods being delivered. "Cyber criminals lure with extremely low prices and a professional-looking website," the Lower Austria State Police Directorate announced on Monday in a release marking the start of the heating season.

Is there an imprint?

It is advised to remain suspicious and check the provider. If an imprint is missing or the information is incomplete or implausible, purchases should not be made there. To find warnings and reviews, the provider's name should be entered into a search engine along with terms like "fraud," "fake," "experience," or "problem." "Extreme discounts and offers that are far below the market average are a strong warning sign of a fake shop," it was further stated.

Police call it a "clear warning signal"

If various payment methods are offered at the beginning of the ordering process and only prepayment by bank transfer is possible at the end, the purchase should be immediately canceled. An advance transfer offers customers no protection. According to the authorities, when buying through classified ad platforms, fraudsters often try to bypass the portal's security measures and switch to email or WhatsApp. The order should always be processed directly through the platform, advised the police: "If the seller refuses, that is a clear warning signal."

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.