Free tool helps

How to recognize fake stores and protect yourself against them

One in four Austrians has already fallen victim to a fake store.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Bipul, graphicINmotion -stock.adobe.com)

They lure you in with attractive offers, but if you order from them, you usually wait in vain for the paid goods or at best receive a fake: thousands of Austrians fall into the traps of fraudulent online stores, better known as fake stores, every year. The damage runs into millions. Krone(+) tells you which warning signs you should look out for and how a free tool can help you recognize fraudulent providers.

"You have made a purchase on the Internet. But the product you ordered doesn't arrive and emails to the supposed store remain unanswered. If this sounds familiar to you, you have probably shopped in a fake store", writes Watchlist Internet on its website.

The independent information platform on the subject of Internet fraud lists more than 16,500 fraudulent fake stores that do not deliver anything despite payment or something that does not correspond to the advertised product.