Guvir

Paid a fake shop? What to do now

Speed matters. The sooner you act, the better the chance of getting money back. Work through these steps in order.

  1. Contact your bank immediately

    If you paid by bank transfer, call your bank today and ask for a recall of the transfer. If the money has not yet been credited, it can sometimes be stopped.

  2. Card: request a chargeback

    If you paid by credit or debit card, ask your card issuer for a chargeback because the goods were not delivered. Keep the order confirmation.

  3. PayPal or Klarna: open a dispute

    Use buyer protection: open a case for an item not received. Deadlines apply, often 180 days for PayPal.

  4. Secure the evidence

    Save screenshots of the shop, product pages, order confirmation, e-mails and payment receipt. Fake shops vanish quickly.

  5. Report it to the police

    File a report, in many countries online. You may need the reference number for your bank or insurer.

  6. Warn others

    Report the shop on its Guvir result page and to your national consumer organisation. In the EU, the European Consumer Centres (ECC-Net) help with cross-border cases.

Watch out for follow-up scams: "recovery services" that promise to get your money back for a fee are often run by the same criminals.