Don’t order firewood from Facebook!

By: STA Date: 2022. 10. 14. 16:25

Due to the extremely high demand for firewood, fraudsters have also become more active. Thanks to the increased official controls, their space for maneuver on the official advertising platforms has been significantly reduced, so more and more people are trying their luck on the Facebook Market Place. Nébih draws the public’s attention to the fact that in many cases firewood is offered for sale on social media with a fictitious profile, without data suitable for identifying the advertiser, and sometimes at an unrealistically low price. Almost 90% of published ads are worrisome in some way. Due to its riskiness, buying firewood on Facebook is basically not recommended, but at least with due caution!

(Photo: Pixabay)

The operators of the largest domestic advertising portals have now understood and support the efforts of the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) to filter illegal advertisements as effectively as possible. Although advertising portals require clear identification of the advertiser, the order of advertising on social platforms is unfortunately still unregulated, and as a result, checking and cleaning the ads published there is a more complicated task. Unfortunately, fraudsters are also aware of all this. In order to filter out abuses, the Nébih EUTR inspectors closely examine the firewood advertisements reported on Facebook. It is a sad experience that almost 90% of the 6,000 ads that have been checked so far turn out to be infringing, as they do not contain the EUTR technical identification number that ensures the identification of the advertiser, or any other data suitable for identification. In many cases, it can also be suspected that the advertiser is not a real person or business, but advertises with a fictitious profile, which is also a strong sign of the risk of abuse.

It is a fact that due to the increase in demand for firewood, its price has also risen

Knowing this, however, it is particularly suspicious if someone offers the stove for sale at an unrealistically low price. The authority recommends that no matter how temptingly cheap the wood is, such an advertiser should be avoided in the first place! And if someone still decides to purchase the stove from Facebook, make sure that they only buy from a legally operating dealer whose Facebook ad also includes the EUTR number and, in most cases, the availability of their own website.

Always keep the following rules in mind when buying firewood!

1.   Buy from a well-known trader or forest farmer who has registered his activity with Nébih and thus has an EUTR technical identification number or forest farmer code.
2.   Traders operating with a location and opening hours are more reliable than those dealing only with firewood mediation.
3.   If you buy based on an ad, check if the EUTR identifier is included. Without this, it is worth looking for another seller.
4.   If you have an EUTR identifier, check the number on the Nébih website!
5. Check the phone number on Nébih’s blacklist!
6.   Never transfer money in advance, especially to unknown advertisers!
7.   If possible, pay in advance only on site, at the cash desk of the trader or forest manager. For an unknown supplier, refer to the name associated with the EUTR number only on the basis of a fee request.
8. Only take firewood with a delivery ticket!
9.   Check the delivered wood carefully before unloading!
10.   Be very careful if you undertake delivery away from the advertiser’s registered office or throughout the country. In addition to the high specific shipping cost, it is not worth it for you or the dealer to carry smaller quantities far!
11.   If you can, rather, measure in cubic meters, buy the fuel by volume, so it is easier to check its quantity, and the water content of the wood does not affect the quantity bought!
12.   If you buy firewood in bulk, make sure that you only pay with an invoice measured on a certified scale, a balance sheet, or another document certifying the weighing.
13.   If you buy freshly harvested wood, try to split it as soon as possible and store it in a covered, airy place. In autumn and winter, wood dries slowly outdoors. It is not ideal, but it can be a solution if, before burning, the split wood is pre-dried for a few weeks in a heated, regularly ventilated place (e.g. in a boiler house).
14.   If you heat with dry wood, you can save up to 30%!
15.   If you feel or experience that you have been the victim of deception and the seller is not willing to negotiate, keep the receipts received from the seller, write down all the data related to the purchase or order – primarily registration number, telephone number, names, addresses – and write your complaint to Nébih!

Buyers can use the page https://portal.nebih.gov.hu/jogszerutlen-hirdetesek-adatai, where they can query the phone numbers of illegal advertisers filtered out by Nébih. While the authenticity and owner of the technical identification number in the advertisement (format AB1234567) can be checked on https://portal.nebih.gov.hu/eutr-kereso. Nébih asks firewood buyers, if any of this data is missing from the Facebook ad or if the advertiser does not match the owner of the technical identification number, not to do business, because they are most likely dealing with a fraudster!

Nebih