It appears as an ad on the Facebook sidebar, for example, and promises discounts of over 80 percent. The ad looks professionally made and shows an original Scott bike and an original logo - but the offer still seems too good to be true. Anyone who orders a bike after clicking on the ad will never receive their bike. According to Scott, the company has been fighting fraud in the bike market for years, but there is currently a veritable wave of attempted fraud. Although Scott always takes legal action against the criminal website operators and the sites go offline, they would soon reappear on the web at a new address.

"As an innovative brand, we have been dealing with product piracy and fake suppliers for some time. That's nothing new in itself. What is new, however, is well-organized online fake stores with an authentic look at first glance that mislead consumers and lead them to fraudulent offers," says Reto Aeschbacher, Brand Director at the bike manufacturer from Givisiez.

How can you spot a fraudulent website? Ridiculously low prices for Scott bikes - up to 90% and cheaper - are an indication of a fake website. Also, the display with the higher retail price crossed out and the discount price is typical to emphasize the massively low price.

To protect themselves from fraud, Scott recommends that consumers check the origin of the products and the reliability of the respective online provider in advance. Official Scott dealers can be found using the Dealer Locator on the official website www.scott-sports.com.