Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – "There's a paradox that makes the pellet scam particularly odious: the one who falls into the trap is often the most careful consumer, the one who compares prices and buys in advance to protect the family budget from high bills. Scammers take a good habit, that of saving, and turn it into a weapon against us," said Massimiliano Dona, president of the National Consumers Union, commenting on the Adnkronos investigation into fake websites offering pellet deals at rock-bottom prices.
“Artificial intelligence,” Dona continued to Adnkronos, “has done the rest: today, building a credible online storefront in just a few hours, with impeccable photos, descriptions, and customer support, is within anyone's reach.
This is why we need to change the question. Let's no longer ask ourselves if a site seems trustworthy, because it will always seem trustworthy. Let's ask ourselves if we really know who will collect our money."
The decisive moment, Dona explains, isn't when we enter the site, but when we press 'send' on the bank transfer. "An instant bank transfer to a private account can't be canceled, and scammers know this.
But today, he says, we have an additional tool: banks are required to verify that the beneficiary's name matches the IBAN. If the app warns us that something isn't right, it's not a technical issue; it's the last warning bell before we lose our money. And beware of a second request for payment, whether for a supposed error or to unblock the delivery: it's a scam that feeds on the scam itself, exploiting the hope of recovering the money already paid.
At that point you have to stop and report it."
(READ ALSO: How to avoid falling into the trap of fake websites)
The UNC president clarifies that "we can't leave everything on consumers' shoulders, nor leave them alone after the scam. Those who have been defrauded often remain silent out of shame, and yet every report to the Postal Police is one less opportunity for other families to be affected. Feeling naive is understandable, but the fault lies with those who defraud, not those who trusted them."
(READ ALSO THE TESTIMONY: "I paid but no goods and the sellers disappeared")
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