Firewood scam: Three sentenced for €100,000 website fraud in France

Three scammers in France have been jailed after being found guilty of defrauding consumers out of €100,000 total for low-cost firewood that never arrived.

Three men, of Benin nationality and aged between 28-32, were sentenced at the tribunal correctionnel in Rennes on January 9.

One man was sentenced to 30 months in a closed prison and a five-year residence ban, while the two others were given 18-month suspended sentences, and banned from directing a company for five years. None of the men had any previous convictions.

The first man was considered to be the main leader of the scam operation, and had been arrested upon his arrival in France - and held in custody since - November 2023. The others have been living and working in Paris for several years.

The Quimper prosecutor opened an initial inquiry into the scam in April 2022, after receiving a complaint for a fraudulent firewood ‘sale’ amounting to €115. Further complaints then emerged. The Rennes inter-regional court then became involved when it emerged that the scam had affected people all over the country.

Firewood scam websites

Initial investigations showed that the perpetrators were creating “excellent quality fake merchant sites”, said the Rennes public prosecutor Philippe Astruc.

“They offered firewood at unbeatable prices, making the offer all the more attractive given that the market was in short supply at the time,” he continued. The money was paid into digital wallets that were “mainly in Benin”.

Over the course of one year, the group defrauded people of €30,000 “on the energiebois-france.com website alone, and accounts used to launder the fraudulent funds defrauded more than €100,000 overall”, said Mr Astruc.

Firewood shortage

The scams operated during a time - late 2022 - when the cost of firewood logs used to heat people’s homes had soared by more than 20%, and wood pellets had tripled in price.

Read more: Pellet costs triple, logs up 20%: Firewood shortage worsens in France

At the time, firewood providers warned that there would not be enough wood for everyone over the winter.

This was partly attributed to a sharp increase in the number of households in the market, with a 2019 report from wood group le Comité national pour le développement du bois estimating that there were “between 7.5 and 8 million households in France that have a firewood-fuelled heating source installed (both logs and wood pellets)”.

The cost of wood as a raw material had also soared.

Scam alerts

As a result of the skyrocketing prices, scammers quickly stepped into the gap, with consumer association UFC-Que Choisir raising the alert in September 2022 after several people reported having ordered ‘fake’ wood or wood pellets - with ‘fast delivery’ - online.

Read more: Scam alert: Too good to be true home firewood offers in France

Instead of receiving their delivery, buyers found that their bank account had been charged, and in some cases, by hundreds of euros, or even up to €1,000. After the payment, the ‘sellers’ are uncontactable, and the bank is unlikely to offer victims a refund because the payment was ‘authorised’ by the client.

UFC-Choisir identified some scam websites - including those named Bois-ecologique.com, and Bois-energie-plus.com - but warned that as soon as one was taken down, others would pop up.

Tips to identify scam websites

The consumer association said that scam websites tend to offer very low prices or overly attractive promotions, and very fast or cheap delivery offers. Some sites also have obvious spelling mistakes, ask for payment by bank transfer, and require purchasers to ‘prove’ the transaction.

"Online shopping on trusted sites does not use such devious processes," said UFC-Que Choisir.

It also recommended that people look at online reviews before purchasing ‘too-good-to-be-true’ offers, to see if anyone else has been burned by scam behaviour in the past.

At times of high demand, “fast delivery” offers should ring alarm bells, it added, because legitimate producers would be struggling to meet increased demand, making delivery periods longer, not shorter.

If you suspect a scam, you are invited to report it on the official scam alert website, Internet-signalement.gouv.fr or by contacting Info escroqueries on 0 805 805 817 (free number, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18.30).

If you have already placed an order on a fraudulent site, report it to the police, stop using your bank card and contact your bank, even if the chances of getting your money back may be slim.

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