Millions of Germans kicked in fake shops

mainz - Counterfeit webshops are a big problem in Germany. More than four million Germans have ever fallen victim to fake web shops. This is shown by a study by a number of consumer organizations. The study will be released on Monday evening via the broadcaster ARD.

Fake shops can not be distinguished from real. For example, they offer sportswear, household items or clothes. But they are only made to light up people. And the danger is that the people behind such sites are becoming more and more professional. 'It is difficult to recognize a fake shop, because the quality increases extremely in the years. Previously you could recognize it by typing errors, but that is no longer the case. They are just like a normal webshop, 'says a police commissioner against the ARD.

There would be at least 1 million counterfeit sites online, 'but we assume that this is just the tip of the iceberg,' said a consumer organization.

The scammers use names and photos of real people, who supposedly operate the store, to inspire confidence. For the same reason they would put logos of PayPal, Visa and Maestro on the site. Also a domain name that ends on. the, the country code for Germany, helps to remove distrust. Most fake shops are only online for a few weeks. They disappear quickly and return shortly afterwards under a different name. Often buyers can only pay in advance.

Fake shops also occur in the Netherlands, but the Authority for Consumers and Markets does not know how big the problem is. The watchdog calls people to not just trust sellers and to monitor well.