Consumer's Telegram January 2014
Insert of n. 6 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre, Bolzano - Italy)Beware of traps!
Fake payment notifications in circulation
In the last days consumers contacted the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Bozen because they had received e-mails with a mysterious notice to pay from a law office called Urmann & Partners. A large amount of money, from 3000 Euro upwards, shall be owed allegedly for streaming pornvideos. The addressee is asked to open the zip-document in the attachment as it contains contact data and bank data as well as written evidence. Unfortunately not all antivirus-programs notice the danger and send out an alert that prevents the document in the attachment from being opened. In this attachment a dangerous Trojan is hidden. If you find such an e-mail in your inbox, please cancel it and do not open the attachment by any means. Here you can find more information.Dating agency
Austrian dating agency charged with fraud
Since ten years the European Consumer Centre in Bolzano has informed consumers who were about to sign a contract of a dating agency. The ECC Bolzano experience in this matter derives from uncountable cases of South Tyrolean consumers who had entrusted an Austrian dating agency with their intimate affair of the heart. As some charges have been brought against the dating agency this this issue has gained criminal relevance. The charges are quite serious and have nothing to do with love or kindred spirit at all: They refer to fraud, defrauding of defenceless people, blackmail and violation of privacy-laws.On the Homepage of the European Consumer Centre you find further information and advice for consumers, who want to make use of the service of a dating agency.
Public consultation
Until 31 January 2014 you have the opportunity to participate in a public survey of the European Commission that reviews the Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation. Click here to open the online –questionnaire.
Case of the month
A passion for shoes!
This time our case regards a consumer from Lithuania with a strong passion for Italian shoes. During her holiday the consumer bought a new pair of sandals in a shop in San Marino. Back home, she wore the new sandals only a couple of times walking to her office and she soon had to notice that the ankle straps became frayed. She contacted the seller in San Marino who did not want to know anything about EU consumer law and legal guarantee and simply advised the consumer to contact the manufacturer based in Italy.Subsequently, the consumer contacted the ECC in Lithuania and asked for help. The case was sent to ECC Italy that contacted the Italian manufacturer. Soon the manufacturer agreed to replace the pair of sandals with another pair of the same model and the case seemed to be solved. However, the consumer was not quite satisfied because she was afraid that the second pair of sandals might have the same defect and claimed a replacement with another model. Even though there is no legal claim of replacement with a different model, the producer agreed and sent to the consumer the model requested after she had sent them the broken shoes.