Danger! How to protect yourself from brazen fraud calls!

Danger! How to protect yourself from brazen fraud calls!

In the past few months, the number of spam calls and trick frauds has increased again, especially at the pre-Christmas season and at the turn of the year. A current evaluation of the Clever Dialer app shows which telephone numbers the users most perceive as annoying. Many of these callers stipulate that consumers have participated in competitions or can redeem alleged profits in order to score personal data or bank details. The author Karolin Stevelmans from Ruhr24 reports that the problem is still virulent, although a decline in spam calls was determined during the holidays. Fraudsters use various stitches, including the purchase of test cards as a prerequisite for supposed profits.

international callers are particularly problematic, such as from the Netherlands. The list of recommended telephone numbers for blocking includes:

• +31 6 83113854 (Netherlands) - cost trap - Diverses
• 0178 7556032 (Germany)-Fake sales of a health insurance company
• +31 6 20122312 (Netherlands) - cost trap - competition
• 01525 6704704 (Germany) - cost trap - competition
• 0176 25318584 (Germany) - cost trap - competition

precautionary measures against telephone fraud

The consumer advice centers urgently warn of uninvited advertising calls. These are legally prohibited without prior consent, and companies threaten sensitive fines if they still make such calls. In the case of unwanted calls, consumers should react suspiciously and do not get involved in the offers, since contracts that are concluded on the phone are often not effective. These can usually be revoked within 14 days.

The reality of consumer complaints

A large number of complaints concern calls from telephone or internet providers, energy suppliers, banks, insurance companies and magazine publishers. The most common problems that consumers arise from these calls are unauthorized debit and invoices. Personal data are often queried, which are then passed on and lead to further unwanted calls. Dubious providers often do not meet necessary information requirements, which also contributes to the fact that many contracts are not effective.

For more information and tips against undesirable phone calls, the Consumer protection forum helpful resources. In view of the persistent problem, it is crucial to remain vigilant when calling from unknown numbers.

The consumer advice centers are ready to give advice and the recommendation remains to be clear about its rights and, if necessary, to revoke unwanted contracts as soon as possible.