Beware of deceptive ‘too good to be true’ heating oil deals

The fake shops are designed to look like legitimate online retailers, employing tactics such as high discounts, familiar brand names, and seemingly trustworthy seals of approval. One such shop, identified as Fastenergy24, intentionally mimics the name of a known heating oil supplier, FastEnergy, to appear credible.

Avast researchers found these shops use countdown timers, such as one displaying “Ends in: 01:18:31,” to pressure visitors into making quick purchases without proper verification.

Between August 23, 2026, and September 23, 2026, Avast claims to have protected approximately 3,000 users in Germany from potentially harmful activities related to these deceptive shops, which offer heating oil, wood pellets, and firewood.

Beyond the unusually low prices, other red flags include Dutch cookie consent requests (“Cookietoestemming”) and English text on what are presented as German websites. These inconsistencies suggest hastily adapted shop templates used by criminals.

Consumers are advised to be wary of prices significantly lower than those offered by established retailers, artificial time pressure tactics, names closely resembling known brands, and trust seals that cannot be verified. They should also scrutinize websites for language errors or foreign language elements. Before making a payment, consumers should always thoroughly investigate the retailer’s legitimacy.