CERT Poland cautions consumers about professionally crafted fake online fuel stores exploiting winter demand.
The Scam Operation
Fake fuel stores are prepared professionally and often closely resemble legitimate sales websites. These sites include product photos, terms of service, and order forms, creating an appearance of credibility. The key element is an exceptionally attractive price and immediate delivery offer, aiming to encourage rapid purchasing decisions.
In practice, the scheme is straightforward. After selecting a product, customers are encouraged to pay by bank transfer. Once the money reaches the fraudsters’ account, contact with the store ceases. No fuel is delivered, and the provided contact details are fictitious. Scammers often impersonate well-known companies or create sites with names deceptively similar to legitimate stores.
Seasonal Vulnerabilities
The problem intensifies particularly in winter, when demand for heating fuels rises and fuel prices remain high. Experts note that the difficult coal and pellet market situation, along with raw material shortages, make customers more inclined to use offers found online, even from unknown sources.
Cybercrime Statistics
According to CERT Poland data, online fraud now constitutes the vast majority of cybersecurity incidents. In December 2025, 51,800 potential threat reports were registered, with nearly 25,000 confirmed as real incidents. For the entire year, the number of incidents reached 260,800, a 152% increase from the previous year.
A significant portion of these cases involves fake websites aimed at extorting money or data. CERT Poland maintains a special list of warnings covering dangerous domains. In 2025, over 244,000 addresses used for fraud were added to this list.
Prevention Methods
Experts highlight that criminals increasingly use social media ads and sponsored search results to direct users to fabricated stores, meaning even experienced internet users can fall victim.
CERT Poland urges reporting any suspicious pages via the incident.cert.pl form or other official reporting channels. This allows dangerous domains to be quickly identified and blocked, limiting the scale of fraud. The warning system operates continuously, with the harmful sites list updated 24/7, as criminals frequently create new sites and abandon old ones immediately after obtaining money from victims.
Cybercriminals constantly adapt their methods to current economic and seasonal conditions. The winter period, high fuel prices, and rising demand for fuel create conditions conducive to such crimes. Therefore, every transaction should be preceded by thorough seller verification to avoid financial loss.
