The fake website offering scooter insurance
The domain rcamonopattino.it presents itself as an Italian platform through which it would be possible to request a quote, choose insurance coverage, and receive the third-party liability insurance documents for the electric scooter online.
The graphics are professional, the pages are numerous, and the process described appears credible. The site offers online quotes, digital certificates, a personal area, customer support, and various levels of coverage, with indicative prices starting at €49 per year.
It is precisely this apparent completeness that can induce the consumer to trust and provide personal data, information about their scooter and possibly payment data.
The site claims to belong to the Unipol Group
The most serious element that emerged from the checks concerns the use of Unipol Assicurazioni SpA references
On the page called “Intermediary Information” and in other sections indexed by search engines, the portal stated:
"RC Monopattino is part of the Unipol Group. Policies issued by Unipol Assicurazioni SpA."
The website also includes Unipol Assicurazioni's registered office, VAT number, insurance company registration number, and other relevant information.
The presence of authentic company data, however, does not at all prove that the site is authorized . This is a common technique among fake insurance portals: using the name, brand, and data of a real company to appear trustworthy.
Unipol disowns RCAMONOPATTINO.IT
ShopSicuro contacted Unipol directly to verify the actual connection to the domain.
The company denied being:
- owner of the site;
- domain owner;
- platform manager;
- connected to the management of rcamonopattino.it.
Consequently, the declarations present on the portal and the reference to belonging to the Unipol Group are disavowed by the company used as the owner .
The only website listed by IVASS for Unipol Assicurazioni SpA is unipol.it . The domain rcamonopattino.it does not appear among the supervised company's official websites.
The absence of the companies' websites, considered alone, would not rule out the possible activity of an authorized intermediary. However, in this case, Unipol's direct disavowal and the failure to clearly identify the intermediary who should distribute the policies are also included.
No clearly identified insurance intermediary
In its terms of use, RC Monopattino states that it is not an insurance company and maintains that the policies are distributed by intermediaries registered in the Single Register of Intermediaries, the so-called RUI.
The problem is that the site does not clearly indicate:
- the name of the intermediary;
- the RUI registration number;
- the register section;
- the intermediary's headquarters;
- a verifiable telephone number;
- the company that physically manages the platform.
The consumer, therefore, cannot know with whom he is actually concluding the contract.
IVASS reminds that insurance and brokerage activities may only be carried out by companies and intermediaries registered in the appropriate registers. The Authority also warns that unauthorized operators may exploit the names of duly authorized companies to sell fake policies.
The privacy policy is also incomplete
Another particularly worrying sign is found in the privacy policy.
The site invites users to register, request quotes, and submit personal information, but states that the complete details of the data controller and data protection officer will only be included in a future "final version," once the contract has been configured.
Essentially, the portal collects or prepares to collect data without clearly explaining who is receiving and processing it.
This isn't just a formality: before providing their name, address, tax code, telephone number, scooter details, or personal documents, the consumer must be able to precisely identify the data controller.
The result of the ShopSicuro verification
The analysis carried out by ShopSicuro gave the domain rcamonopattino.it a score of 20 out of 100 , classifying it as a red traffic light.
Among the critical elements identified:
- domain registered less than a month ago;
- presence in the internal ShopSicuro blacklist;
- absence of a VAT number clearly attributable to the actual manager;
- absence of a telephone number;
- impossibility of identifying with certainty the person responsible for the service.
The presence of a valid HTTPS certificate does not make the portal trustworthy. The padlock displayed by the browser merely indicates that communication with the site is encrypted; it does not certify the identity, insurance authorization, or integrity of the operator.
What are the risks of buying a fake policy?
Purchasing coverage through an unauthorized site can have very serious consequences.
The consumer can:
- lose the money paid;
- receive invalid insurance documents;
- discover that you are not actually insured;
- communicate personal data and documents to unknown parties;
- suffer subsequent phishing or identity theft attempts;
- find yourself without coverage in the event of an accident.
A certificate received via email or downloaded from a personal area is not necessarily authentic. The validity of the policy must be verified directly with the insurance company indicated in the contract, using only the contact details found on the company's official website.
What to do if you have entered your data
Anyone who has filled out a form on rcamonopattino.it should:
- do not send any further documents;
- do not communicate codes received via SMS;
- change any passwords used on other services as well;
- save screenshots, emails, messages and page views;
- be careful of phone calls or emails that use the data you just provided;
- report the site to ShopSicuro and the competent authorities.
Particular attention must be paid if identity documents, tax codes, IBANs, or photographs of payment cards have been submitted.
What to do if you have already paid
Anyone who has made a payment should immediately contact their bank or card issuer and ask:
- blocking the operation, when still possible;
- the opening of a dispute;
- the possible chargeback procedure;
- control of subsequent operations;
- card replacement, if the data was communicated directly.
It is also advisable to file a report with the Postal Police or law enforcement, attaching receipts, payment details, email addresses, telephone numbers, messages, and a copy of the alleged policy.
How to verify an insurance site
Before purchasing an insurance policy online, you should always check:
- who is the company that issues the policy;
- who is the intermediary who sells it;
- the RUI registration number;
- the correspondence of the domain with the one communicated to IVASS;
- the presence of registered office, VAT number, certified email address and telephone number;
- the actual validity of the contact details;
- the beneficiary of the payment.
The check should not be performed using the phone number provided by the suspicious website. You should independently search for the company's official website and contact them through their verified channels.
The ShopSicuro alert
In light of the checks carried out and the disavowal received from Unipol, ShopSicuro recommends against using rcamonopattino.it, requesting quotes, or entering personal or payment information .
The site uses links to a real insurance company, but the company has denied any ownership or connection to the portal.
Have you used RCAMONOPATTINO.IT?
Keep all documentation and send a report to ShopSicuro. Reports help reconstruct the operating methods of fake sites and warn other consumers.