Warning: fraud alert! Ignore the orange card in the mailbox!

Warning: fraud alert! Ignore the orange card in the mailbox!

In Germany, an orange card in the mailbox causes excitement and uncertainty. It looks like an official government notification and is labeled "Important message. Unfortunately we were unable to reach you in person." The call to action is clear: recipients should call 0541 58053416 within seven working days. But what seems like an innocent message is fraught with the risk of fraud. The consumer advice center warns against this cheeky scam, which is aimed at stealing callers' personal data and potentially convincing them to pay expensive subscriptions. The Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania consumer advice center explains why the whole thing is so tricky, saying that callers are often put under pressure by call center employees in order to conclude disadvantageous contracts. Anyone who falls into the trap could end up with high costs.

Wiebke Cornelius from the consumer advice center advises simply ignoring the cards and not calling the telephone number provided. Instead, those affected should focus on protecting their data and avoiding contact with such dubious offers. This type of fraud is anything but new - such schemes have been known since 2015 and the appearance and wording can vary. Victims are often assumed to have outstanding payments that need to be paid immediately or that they are stuck with a subscription they don't know about.

Characteristics of the scam

The orange card has no address, just a PO box. At the end of the message is the strange “personal message number,” which is intended to make recipients feel safe and call back. But the consumer advice center warns: Callers could ask for sensitive information such as name or account number in order to exploit the data. Caution is advised when making such calls, because the goal is clear: to obtain personal data for subscription or cost traps, which can turn out to be a serious financial mistake.

What to do in an emergency?

In the event of a suspicious call or such card, we recommend contacting consumer advice immediately. These not only offer a first point of contact, but also comprehensive advice on various topics. Even if the costs for 0900 numbers are around 13.70 euros and callers are asked to pay for half an hour of talk time, the time invested is reasonable when it comes to protection against fraud and data misuse. Calls to these numbers are also billed based on the actual duration. This has the advantage that you don't pay for longer than you actually made the call. In any case, claims made from such cards can be very misleading, so it is advisable not to take any rash steps.

For anyone who discovers the false report in their mailboxes, the advice from consumer advocates is unmistakable: “Throw it away and don’t call!”

For more information about scams and how you can effectively protect yourself, visit the website Sol.de, Stern.de and VZHH.de.