Ukrainians are warned about a new firewood fraud scheme: how fraudsters work

17 October 09:57

The state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” warns citizens about a new fraud scheme involving the sale of firewood. The hotline has received dozens of calls from people who paid money for firewood but never received the goods, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports

How fraudsters work

Attackers post ads for the sale of firewood on popular online platforms such as OLX, Prom.ua, and others. They pose as employees or partners of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” and convince buyers of their “reliability” because it is a state-owned enterprise.

The fraudsters then ask for an advance payment to an individual’s bank card. People transfer money but do not receive firewood. Later, the sellers stop contacting them, and the deceived buyers start looking for the contacts of the Forests of Ukraine and ask for help.

“Forests of Ukraine: we do not work through classifieds

The state enterprise emphasizes:

“The regional divisions of the State Enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’ do not post ads on third-party websites and never ask to transfer funds to private cards. The only safe way to buy firewood is directly from the forestry or through an official online store.”

How to buy firewood safely:

Step 1. Contact the nearest forestry or superforestry that sells firewood. A complete list with contacts is available on the company’s website: https://e-forest.gov.ua/kupyty-drova/
Step 2. Come to the forestry with your passport and identification code, write an application. An individual can purchase up to 15 cubic meters of firewood per year.
Step 3. Get the official payment details. You can pay in the forestry itself, in a bank or through online banking.
Step 4. Agree on the date and place of firewood delivery and pick up the order.

You can also buy firewood through the DrovaE online store, which is the only official digital platform of the company.