Sales of used cars are the most common Internet frauds

The purchase and sale of second-hand motor vehicles is the most common Internet fraud, Ignat Arsenov, Director of The European Consumer Centre – Bulgaria, said at a news conference on the topic The European Online Market - Unfair Trade Practices and Fraud on the Internet. Other examples of Internet frauds are related to counterfeit goods. Most often, these are brand products like perfumes and clothing. There are Internet frauds related to the adoption of animals and fake escrow companies, where the companies guarantee the payment. 99% of escrow companies are fake, Arsenov said.

Internet frauds are much more frequent than frauds in the real world. It is noteworthy that the sites appearing in just a month or two take people's money, commit several frauds and disappear. Therefore, such sites should be avoided and payment should be made safely. First, we have to make sure that the site protects our personal data. We advise consumers to shop with credit cards because, in this way, they can contest the payment and solve the problem through the bank, not through the dealer, Ignat Arsenov explained. According to him, the Directive on Consumer Protection has already been adopted, under which states will have to introduce next year general uniform rules for consumer protection in all member-states of the EU. These rules will facilitate merchants as well because they will provide precise requirements traders will have to meet.

"In 2011, The European Consumer Centre examined 883 signals from consumers, of which 280 information requests and 603 complaints from Bulgarian consumers against Bulgarian traders. These were related to problems with air transport, e-shopping, roaming, package holidays, Internet frauds, shopping in the European Union and others," became clear at the press conference.

2,082 complaints related to electronic shopping have been submitted to the Commission for Consumer Protection since the start of the year, Ivan Bachvarov, Secretary of the Commission for Consumer Protection, announced. Complaints concerning suspected violation of the Law on Consumer Protection were 1,627. 74 violations in terms of failing to provide enough information were also identified.

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