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TÜV Süd „s@fer shopping“

TÜV Süd discontinued the programme in 2021. An s@fer-shopping seal shown today is a warning sign.

This seal has not been awarded since March 2021. There is no longer an active certification body. A seal of this programme that is still displayed today is therefore a warning sign: it is outdated or was copied without authorisation.

For comparison: how the seal behaved while the programme existed, and how an image behaves today.

Formerly

Clicking the seal today opens:

No certificate, the programme has been discontinued

The seal is no longer awarded. A seal shown today dates from before the programme ended or has been copied.

Image without a link

Clicking the seal opens:

Nothing. The seal is only an image

Anyone can place the logo on a page. Without a link there is no proof, and the shop cannot back up the seal.

Schematic illustration. The logo is shown for recognition only, the shop in the diagram is made up.

At a glance

What sets TÜV Süd „s@fer shopping“ apart from the other seals: who issues it, what is checked behind it and how you recognise the proof.

IssuerTÜV SÜD Sec-IT (historical)
Since, region2001, DE
TypeShop certification
ProofNo active audit database exists any longer. A successor seal from TÜV Süd or TÜV Rheinland is not currently known.

How to check whether it’s genuine

No active audit database exists any longer. A successor seal from TÜV Süd or TÜV Rheinland is not currently known.

  1. Since the programme has been discontinued, the seal can no longer be validly verified.
  2. If a current shop displays this seal, treat it as a warning sign. It is outdated or copied without authorisation.

What this seal checks

three-stage audit procedure (historical)

  • Manual review of the online presence
  • Test purchases in the shop
  • Audit of the behind-the-scenes processes at the operator (on-site audit)
  • Order and payment handling, data protection and data security
  • Technical security, including encryption (according to Stiftung Warentest, the only provider in that comparison to audit it)

Process

The service was discontinued by TÜV Süd in March 2021. There is no longer an active auditing body that could award or renew the seal; the former provider domain safer-shopping.de is no longer reachable.

Known forgery patterns

How the TÜV Süd „s@fer shopping“ seal is misused in shops.

  1. Because the programme has not existed since March 2021, any current use of the “s@fer shopping” logo is outdated or improper.

Four checks apply to every seal, regardless of the provider. To the checks

Is a shop entitled to carry this seal?

The shop check detects known seals and asks the issuer whether a valid certification exists. On top come the rest of the 39 check modules, each finding with its reasoning.

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Dennis Bölling, Founder · QAD SoftUpdated

Sources