“My friends, they resell shoes and make profits of up to 1,000 euros per week”. This statement of a young Internet user with BFM Tech wonderfully illustrates the craze around refunds, this illegal practice which would have earned up to 30,000 euros in six months for certain fraudsters. What is it exactly and what are the risks involved? Let’s take stock.
Behind the term refund hides a scam which is actually not new. Concretely, a person will buy an item on an e-commerce site. Once she received her package, she declared that she had not received it, was reimbursed and then resold the goods.
Quoted by our colleagues, Antoine Chéron, lawyer specializing in intellectual and digital property, has an even more precise definition:
“Refund” or fraudulent reimbursement is a practice consisting of obtaining a refund for products purchased on online sales platforms without returning the items, or by returning fake or damaged products.
This practice has been reinforced in recent years among certain young people who hear about it on networks, such as TikTok or Telegram, according to the French media. Professional networks even ended up being created. Some providers take care of the reimbursement process to further simplify the illegal process.
As one can imagine, the major platforms are mobilizing against this worrying trend. So, Amazon tries to detect these techniques using these algorithms. The authorities are also working to dismantle the networks.
Lately, some refunders have been caught by the patrol and hefty fines are raining down. Fraudsters can in particular be prosecuted for fraud and risk 5 years in prison and a fine of 375,000 euros. As for videographers who promote the refund, they risk being prosecuted for complicity in fraud.
That said, these risks do not really frighten the young people interviewed by BFM Tech. One of them explains in particular: “Orders are placed on false identities via well-known sites where order problems are less than 1%. So if a ‘loyal’ account has a problem, it’s not in their interest not to refund.”. While another does not fear prosecution in France where he indicates that he does not reside.
What to remember:
- The refund scam explodes in France
- Social networks make this technique popular
- The crooks face 5 years in prison and a fine of 375,000 euros
