Criminals are currently calling private individuals throughout Germany and posing as lawyers from the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Center in order to demand money from those called. But it is an attempt at fraud – the consumer advocates do not call anyone unsolicited.
The consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) warns of calls from telephone scammers who are currently posing as lawyers from the consumer center to demand money or to get sensitive data. In order to inspire trust and keep people on the line, fraudsters introduce themselves on the phone under the name “Consumer Center”, “Consumer Advice” or “Federal Office for Consumer Protection”. There are many different ways to snag a quick euro on the phone when someone is taken by surprise.
Sometimes the possibility of reimbursement of fees from banks or savings banks is used as an excuse to get personal data. Some windy callers want to conduct surveys or purported advice on reducing energy bills or discuss an alleged life insurance law change. Others offer, for example, to delete personal data from lists at lottery companies, charge around 150 euros for this useless service or talk the listeners into a newspaper subscription.
To top it off, there are also threats of bankruptcy or court proceedings if alleged bills from sweepstakes are not paid. Or the criminals pretend to be a consumer advice center when they call and claim that there is a collection request that can be settled with an immediate cash payment. The money will be picked up the next day by a “security officer from the consumer advice center”.
In order to leave no doubt, at the end of the deception manoeuvre, the phone number of the consumer advice center is usually given as a callback number, sometimes it is even shown on the display of the person called. “Call ID spoofing” is the technical term for this.
The consumer center NRW makes it clear:
Basically, the police advise:
Those affected should critically question every call from strangers, and should not be put under pressure, unsettled or intimidated, even if threatened with fines or costs. The best thing to do is hang up right away, advises the police – and also gives the following tips:
