The Ministry of the Environment warns Italian citizens about the presence of false applications where to apply for the Bike Bonus 2020. Here’s what you risk
The Ministry of the Environment raises the alarm: beware of false applications on the Mobility Bonus 2020 that have appeared in recent days on various online stores. The Ministry refers to the Bonus Bike 2020 provided by the Government to encourage the purchase of sustainable and environmentally friendly vehicles such as bicycles, e-bikes, electric scooters and segways. The incentive was made necessary by the rules for social distancing that provide for a reduced number of people who can use public transport.
And the easiest alternative are precisely ecological and sustainable means such as bicycles and scooters. The 2020 bike bonus provides up to 500 euros in bonuses for the purchase of one of these devices. To get the reimbursement, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Transport are setting up an online platform where people who have already purchased one of these means can apply. The application, however, is taking longer than expected to be released (it was initially scheduled for the beginning of July) and some scammers have thought to take advantage of it by publishing fake applications. Here’s what you risk and how to defend yourself.
Bonus bike 2020, beware of scams: the message of the Ministry of Environment
With a press release published on its official website, the Ministry of Environment warns Italian citizens: be wary of false web applications on the Mobility Bonus 2020.
“The Ministry of the Environment invites those who intend to take advantage of the Mobility Bonus 2020 to be wary of web applications that are active today and that can mislead, because the only channel to obtain the bonus will be the one activated by the Ministry of the Environment on the site www.minambiente.it. In fact, the presence of applications on “Bonus Mobility 2020” that can be downloaded from the most popular platforms has been reported.
When the institutional application will be available on the website of the Ministry of the Environment, the only site from which it will be possible to access the benefits, the public will be informed well in advance so as to be able to request the bonus in the utmost transparency and with clear indications on all the necessary documentation.
The Ministry will report to the competent authorities applications that may cause confusion among users on the modalities and procedures to obtain the bonus.”
It seems, therefore, that some fraudsters are using this waiting period in which the official platform has not yet been released to try to cheat users with false hopes. And especially with fake web applications.
Fake Mobility Bonus 2020 applications: what you risk
The apps have been released on different web platforms where users usually download applications and programs. It’s still not very clear what the consequences are for those who download one of these fake apps, but it’s almost certain that the goal of the scammers is to obtain users’ personal data, so that they can resell them online or reuse them in other scams.
How to defend yourself against fake Bike Bonus 2020 apps
As explained by the press release, the only site from which it will be possible to access the Bike Bonus 2020 is that of the Ministry of Environment: all others are fake and put the users themselves in danger. The Ministry, moreover, will warn in time of the release of the platform, so that there are no problems of any kind.