A stere is better than two you’ll get it. The firewood scam is one of those seasonal scams that we see come back time and time again, despite the many warnings. Suspecting that he had been fooled, a reader of 20 minutes living in the North of France contacted us to find out for sure. In a few minutes and after two phone calls, we were able to confirm to him that he would never see the color of the cubic meters of wood he had ordered.
Our reader’s misadventure begins when he comes across an attractive offer, but not too much, on the Chauffage-central.info website. A cubic meter of wood is priced at 47 euros, a pallet at 310 euros. Good deal, especially as there is stock and delivery is free from 200 euros of purchase. Bam, he falls for the trick, places his order and pays 350 euros by credit card directly on the site.
We say “one stere” not “one stere”
The delivery doesn’t arrive and we come out with convoluted excuses like Ciaran. He groaned and, since then, there has been no sound or image. No one answers the phone or online chat. Of course, he was not suspicious, even if there were still clues: the website had just been put online and one might also find it strange that a timber merchant was not damn knowing that stere is a masculine noun.
In the general conditions of sale of the Chauffage-central.info site, you can easily find a physical address and a Siren number referring to a company in Bas-Rhin actually registered in the commercial register. Except that this company installs heaters, it does not sell wood.
Several cheated consumers have filed complaints
Contacted by 20 minutes, the company confirms that it is the victim of identity theft. We are told that the deception was discovered less than a week ago but that the scam has been going on since September. Still according to the company, which is drowning in phone calls, several cheated consumers have filed complaints and the scammer’s website must soon be closed.
As we write this, this is not the case. If the phone number is not answered, there is always a human being behind the online chat. We spoke with this person and the scam continues despite the discovery of the pot aux roses. The chat was cut off, however, when we assured that we were aware of the scam. Contacted by 20 minutes, the fraud prevention department (DGCCRF) “does not communicate on a current case”. The latter explains, however, that this type of scam is a criminal matter and that people who have been cheated should instead turn to the police or gendarmerie services.