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More and more people worldwide are falling victim to container fraud, including businesses and individuals in Greece. Buyers think they are saving money on  storage solutions , only to discover they are simply paying for something they will never receive.

Our best tips for avoiding container scams are as follows:

• If the price seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t.
• Real container providers don’t make business deals via text messages
• Legitimate container businesses have corporate emails
• Online reviews can help validate legitimacy
• Random images for commercial use = scam
• The demand for advance payment is a typical sign of fraud
• Be wary if there are claims of incorrect bank details
• Most container providers do not accept online payments

The storage container industry is proving increasingly attractive to fraudsters, due to the often high container prices caused by low supply and high demand for storage solutions. The use of artificial intelligence makes these scams even more convincing and enables fraudsters to create fake websites and advertisements quickly and easily. Fraudsters simply offer low prices and wait for customers, even impersonating large companies, such as TITAN, to gain their trust.

At TITAN, we take these scammers and their attempts to impersonate us very seriously. Let’s look at some steps you can take to ensure that the storage provider and solutions you use are 100% legitimate.

TOP EIGHT TIPS TO AVOID CONTAINER FRAUD

We have identified and reported a large number of container scams. Here are eight tips to keep in mind to avoid falling victim to scammers.

• If the price seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t.

In general, container prices vary little between legitimate companies. The main tactic of these scammers is to offer prices that are much lower than legitimate companies, creating the impression that you are being offered a very profitable deal.

Layland Barker, founder of TITAN, urges you to contact reputable storage solution providers when checking prices:

If you are offered a price that seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t. Double-check and investigate whether the “company” you are contacting is a real business.

• Real storage service providers don’t make business deals via text messages

Of course, some storage providers, including TITAN, are willing to answer questions using messaging or social media. However, we never make sales or accept payments using these means. The same goes for all other legitimate storage providers.

If you are pressured to make a payment over the phone or through social media, it is likely that this is a fraud attempt by your interlocutor.

• Legitimate storage service businesses have corporate emails

When you work with real businesses, especially in an industry like ours, almost everyone you communicate with will have a company email. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll be communicating with anyone via Gmail or other generic email.

For example, TITAN will never use an email that is not included in the following: @tcmail.eu, @titancontainers.com.au, @titancontainers.com, @titancontainers.gr, @titancontainers.co.nz.

Be wary of any email that comes from a generic address.

• Online reviews can help validate legitimacy

Real businesses work with real customers who leave real reviews. A business that doesn’t have reviews online is probably not a business you want to do business with. Make sure you check the reviews on sites like Google and Trustpilot , and check if they seem real.

Typically, fake reviews are all posted around the same time (for example, within a week or two) and often use similar wording. You can also check the reviewer’s profile to see if they have reviewed other businesses. Scammers usually don’t do this, as they have created the account for the sole purpose of submitting a review for their fake business.

Here’s a review we received. It’s specific, human, and written by someone who has reviewed many businesses over the years:

• Random images for commercial use = scam

Businesses that offer branded, secure storage solutions want to advertise them. If you visit a website and see images for commercial use showcasing the storage solutions they offer, then it’s probably a scam.

TITAN storage containers are branded and we ensure that only branded containers are featured in all our marketing materials and on our website. If the storage solution candidate you are considering only displays images for commercial use on their website, you may want to think again and look for additional information.

• The demand for advance payment is a typical sign of fraud

If you are working with a company that requires full payment upfront, it may be a scam. In fact, it most likely is. After all, waiting to receive products that have never been shipped reveals their fraud.

Requiring upfront payment is a key way to scam you. Avoid paying any amount before you are completely sure that you are dealing with a legitimate storage solution provider.

• Be wary if there are claims of incorrect bank details

A common trick used by these scammers is to provide false banking information. This banking information will appear legitimate, but in reality, it does not exist.

When you send money to these accounts, the transaction will fail and the amount will be returned to you. The scammers will then give some explanation and ask you to send the payment to another account. If you follow these instructions, you will most likely lose your money permanently.

You see, the initial account looks legitimate. It might include a brand name you recognize (like TITAN!) or trust, and then incorrect bank details. It gives you a false sense of security, which scammers exploit to pressure you into sending money to a less legitimate-looking account.

• Storage providers do not usually accept online payments

Typically, most storage service providers do not accept online payments. When working with real storage service providers, payment is usually made upon arrival of your order.

At TITAN, we ask prospective customers to contact us directly. Customers are not able to make reservations through an online portal, only submit a request for a quote . We then work directly with our customers to ensure they get exactly the storage solution they need.

In the rare event that you are asked to send a payment via an online payment system, make sure you are absolutely certain that you are dealing with a genuine business.

WHAT IS TITAN CONTAINER DOING TO PREVENT FRAUD?

After over 30 years in business, we have encountered a large number of scams. In many cases, scammers use the TITAN Containers name, photos and trademarks in their advertisements to make their fraudulent activities appear legitimate. This is not only the case with TITAN, but also with other reputable container companies.

To prevent these scammers from defrauding people of their hard-earned money, we have commissioned service providers to identify and take down fake websites that use TITAN’s intellectual property rights. They have already taken down many websites, which we have reported to local authorities.

This is a challenging task as these scammers move at a high speed. As soon as we take down one site, another one pops up. Lately, they have been avoiding violating TITAN’s intellectual property rights, making it impossible for our service provider to disable the sites.

We do everything we can to protect our customers from storage container scams, including providing these tips to help you avoid falling victim to fraud.

TITAN CONTAINERS: SAFE, PROTECTED STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Scammers try hard, but we try even harder. We remain committed to finding and disabling scammers and websites that claim to offer storage solutions.

We have been providing high-quality storage solutions to customers worldwide since 1987. We are a trusted service brand in Greece, despite the efforts of the crafty to exploit it.

If you have any doubts about the identity of your interlocutor regarding the storage solutions available to you in Greece, do not hesitate to call directly to check if the person you are communicating with via email is completely trustworthy.

So far, we have been able to stop the scammers and remain vigilant to ensure that TITAN continues to be a brand you can trust.

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