The forced insurance scam on certain e-commerce sites

Several of you have told us about this scam in recent weeks: an assurance of 49.99 not mandatory but invoiced. Here is an article to explain the details of this scam:

“Following a Facebook ad, I ordered a product for 0,99 euros (a gel polish applicator). On the order page there was a "breakage and theft" guarantee at 49,99 euros that could be unchecked. I am sure I unchecked it and despite this I was withdrawn from the amount. "

“It was recommended to me on Snapshat, washable make-up removing discs for 0,99 euros for 3. Telling me that I was not risking much, I bought them. I checked correctly, the site started with "https" (what is supposed to secure the sites?). At the time of payment, the site offered me insurance for 49,99 euros which I am sure I refused. When I received the confirmation email, I realized that the insurance did appear on the invoice despite my refusal. I called my bank who told me that since I had entered my bank details myself they could not block the payment but only block the card to be sure that this company of misfortune was not going to return. withdraw in the future. To this day, I still have not received the cotton discs. "

How does this scam work?

Some information that we were able to gather:

• The operation always seems the same:

1. Internet users arrive on these e-commerce sites through Facebook, Instagram, Snapshat or other advertising ...
2. the site offers lots of small "gadget" objects around the themes of beauty, technology or even cooking. What do they have in common? The prices are really very attractive (less than 1, 2 or 3 euros)
3. once your "shopping" is done, you go to the "basket" page to validate your order: the site then offers you "loss and theft" or "breakage and theft" insurance (for amounts ranging from 2,95 euros to 49,99 euros). You uncheck this option because insurance costs much more than the product (s) ordered.
4. you receive an order confirmation email: surprise, the insurance has been added to your basket. You will therefore be debited for a total amount including the purchase of the products + this unwanted insurance.

• Sites never stay online for very long. A few weeks at most. They quickly disappear to 1. cut off all forms of contact with unhappy customers, 2. reduce the risk of being sued by institutions supposed to protect Internet users.
• The companies behind these sites are not French. For the few scams that have been brought up to us, most are English.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of sites raised by our community:

What to do in the event of a forced insurance scam on a website?

Unfortunately, if you have already placed the order, you cannot cancel it with your bank. However, it is essential to contact your banker to explain the situation to him. In some cases, you may even possibly get a refund, this is called the " chargeback ».

For your next purchases: always look at the legal notices of the site. Type the name of the site on your search engine to identify possible negative reviews. Use your best judgment: a site that offers products at prices well below standard prices or a site that offers 80% reductions should put you in the ear.

Last point, if you found this article useful, share it with your loved ones, on your social networks or not even email or whatsapp! If this can prevent future scams, it is because we have succeeded in our mission of information!

Stay vigilant!

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