Online fraud: what you need to know about it

Online shopping has become a commonplace in our lives because it is convenient and fast. To ensure that they are safe and without losses for you, we have prepared instructions on how to protect yourself from fraud.

First of all, when choosing and buying train, air, and bus tickets online, you need to be as vigilant as possible

One of the most popular frauds in the sale of electronic train tickets is fake websites. Representatives of such resources may claim to be managers of carrier companies or online ticketing services, and the resources themselves may be of low quality and available for only one day. Of course, the sites can also be quite high quality, almost completely copied from a real aggregator. In this case, you need to carefully check the website address, the availability of reviews, and learn more about the duration of the resource's existence.

When buying electronic tickets, you should pay attention to the following:

1. Greatly reduced price. The price may differ from the price on the company's main website by 5-15%.
2. The support number does not work or is absent at all, there is no feedback from the service.
3. The quality of the site is questionable (most often, one-day sites are used in this scheme).
4. Lack of real reviews.
5. The recipient of payment is an individual (for all available payment methods).

How to protect yourself from fraudsters acting on behalf of INFOBUS

To determine whether you are buying tickets from a genuine INFOBUS, pay attention to the following points: payment methods and ticketing channels.

Способи оплати

There are 5 payment methods available on the INFOBUS website:

1. Online credit card

All transactions are controlled by banking services and are absolutely safe. Important! When making a payment, the user is redirected to the bank's secure page. Neither we nor anyone else, except your bank, receives personal data on the card. Payment can be made by any bank card and in any currency (you can choose the currency on the main page of the site in the upper right corner, change it during payment). Available payment systems: Liqpay, WayForPay, PayU, PayPal, etc. It is also possible to pay for orders via Privat24.

2. Through the PrivatBank/EasyPay terminal

On the screen of the PrivatBank terminal, create an account linked to your mobile phone, select "I don't have a card/Cardless transaction" in the main menu, enter your phone number and wait for a confirmation call from PrivatBank, click "Pay" in the generated invoice, and the ticket will be automatically sent to your email.

When using the EasyPay terminal, select "Tickets and Travel", "INFOBUS" in the main menu, enter the order number and click the "Pay" button. Payment via terminals is made without commissions.

3. By money transfer at a bank branch

Our support team will provide you with the details for making a money transfer depending on the currency and country of payment. The transfer of funds can take from 1 to 3 business days.

4. By cash or card in the office

You can pay for your tickets in person at our office in Lviv (9 Chernivetska St.).

5. In cash when boarding the bus.

After pre-booking your order on the website, you have the option to pay the driver in cash. If you can't pay by card on the website, you can cancel your order without a refund if your plans change. You are guaranteed a seat in the bus, and the ticket price is fixed until payment is made.

Please note:

• You can pay the driver only in the currency of the country of departure. 
• If you change your plans, be sure to cancel the reservation, as the system will not allow you to select this payment method in future orders.
• Carriers that provide this payment method have a special mark on the website. This is what it looks like:

You can order tickets with payment at the time of boarding on the website or by contacting our round-the-clock support service, or with the help of a chatbot in Telegram, Viber, Messenger та online chat of the site.

Ticketing channels

INFOBUS sells tickets only on two websites - on site and in mobile applications for iOS and Android. If you see that someone is selling tickets on behalf of INFOBUS, be sure to let us know by contacting support services.

After payment is made, tickets are sent to your email instantly. We don't generate them manually and we don't entrust someone else to do it.

Feedback and full transparency

The INFOBUS website contains real reviews from real customers. Passengers travel, use the service, and leave their impressions on our website after the trip. Thanks to these reviews, customers can verify the quality and reliability of the services provided, as well as choose the most reliable carrier or flight.

INFOBUS also cares about maximum transparency in the provision of services. The site contains the most complete and up-to-date information about each flight, each carrier (you can view the route, carrier and even vehicle data). Ticket prices are accurate and do not change within a short time. 

The company's registration form, as well as all legal documentation regarding obligations and protection of users' rights, are also made publicly available on the website.

Benefits and incentives

Every INFOBUS customer has the opportunity to join the bonus program and receive discounts on tickets during the next purchase. All bonuses and transactions are stored in the customer's personal profile on website or in mobile application,and are available 24/7. Promo codes, current promotions and discounts - we inform our customers about all this in newsletters, on our blog and on our social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Telegram). 

How do you know if you are facing a fraudster?

• The seller's phone number and address are missing, and contact is offered only by electronic means of communication: personal correspondence, e-mail, instant messages.
• The ad is sloppy and contains multiple grammatical errors.
• The seller offers you copies of their documents (passport, driver's license, library card, student ID, TIN) to confirm their identity.
• Payment is accepted only to an account in an anonymous electronic payment system.
• Full or partial payment is accepted to any card of an individual.

Tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud:

• Buy and pay for tickets only on trusted websites;
• Use a virtual card and transfer to it only the amount necessary for payment;
• Do not disclose the card's expiration date, CVV, and PIN to anyone;
• If you buy tickets on a classifieds platform, discuss the details of the transaction only in the chat of this platform, do not go to third-party messengers;
• Check the correctness of the name of the required site - one inconspicuous character in the address may mean that you have landed on a phishing site;
• Do not pay for online purchases when connected to a public Wi-Fi network.

Be careful when shopping online!