Fraudulent Chinese Shops Masquerade as German Family Businesses Online

Consumers are increasingly deceived by emotional social media ads from fake local brands, leading to poor-quality purchases and costly returns.

German consumers are falling victim to online scams where Chinese shops pose as local family businesses using emotional marketing tactics.
These fraudulent shops often use German city and family names, along with .de domains, to create a false impression of authenticity and locality.
Products sold by these shops are frequently of poor quality and do not match the advertised images, leading to significant consumer dissatisfaction.
Returning items is often complicated and expensive, as customers must pay high shipping costs to send products back to China.
The Hamburg Consumer Center advises thorough checks of online shops' contact details and terms before purchasing, warning against being swayed by emotional advertising.