An emotional story about a family business that has to close is a well-known scam for fraudsters. This is used, for example, to sell cheap goods in online shops, according to experts.
Real leather bags, reduced from 295 to 59 euros – that makes many customers’ hearts beat faster. The supposed background of this price is that a traditional family business is being taken over by a large corporation, so the last handmade items are to be sold at a bargain price.
This emotional story belongs to the alleged Maronelli leather factory, reports the Austrian portal “Watchlist Internet“. The shop is run by Enzo Maronelli (as a craftsman) and his daughter Sofia as creative director. Since 1996 they have been making “Italian craftsmanship – made to last,” it says on the website.
Fraudulent online shop – breaking news and alleged advertisements lure consumers
“Watchlist Internet” informs that consumers become aware of the shop through advertisements, for example. In Maronelli’s case there is one supposed breaking news about the fact that the shop is about to be taken over and that there is therefore an 80 percent discount on the last handmade leather bags.
In the text, however, it becomes apparent that Enzo is given a different last name. If he is called Enzo Maronelli in a headline, the text says Enzo Bellatorri.
This is how buyers are lured by fake shops
The breaking news also sets a deadline of three days, until February 1st, 2026 (as of January 29th, 2026, 9:10 a.m.). After that, there will supposedly be a switch to industrial mass production and prices will “increase fivefold.”
In this way, the sellers build up pressure and trigger fear of loss, the experts report Consumer advice center. Emotions are intended to push people to make a quick purchase. For example, you can play with the quantity on offer, the duration or the design.
Ready to buy: This is what customers expect
If customers bought from Maronelli, they usually received inferior quality goods from China, according to “Watchlist Internet”. Buyers should then contact their payment provider, it may be that buyer protection is not available PayPalKlarna or other service providers. Did you pay by credit card? Please contact the provider company and report your situation.
On review platforms like Trustpilot reports buyers of failures. Among other things, it says: “Fraud from front to back” or “Hands off Chinese junk”.
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