Attention: fraud warning! Ignore orange card in the mailbox!

Attention: fraud warning! Ignore orange card in the mailbox!

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Deutschland - In Germany, an orange card in the mailboxes ensures excitement and uncertainty. It looks like an official official notification and bears the inscription "important communication. Unfortunately, we could not reach it personally". The call to the action is clear: the recipients should call the number 0541 58053416 within seven working days. But what looks like an innocent message is full of fraud. The consumer center warns of this cheekily designed stitch, which aims to steal personal data from the callers and to swap any costly subscriptions. The Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania consumer center explains why the whole thing is so wrong, which says that callers are often under pressure by call center employees in order to conclude adverse contracts. Those who let themselves be fallen into the trap could remain at high costs.

Wiebke Cornelius from the consumer advice center advises to simply ignore the cards and not to call the telephone number mentioned. Instead, those affected should focus on protecting their data and avoiding contact with such dubious offers. Because this type of fraud is anything but new - such machinations have been known since 2015 and the appearance and the formulations can vary. The victims are often assumed that outstanding payments have to be paid immediately or that they are attached to a subscription from which they do not know anything.

characteristics of the fraud stitch

The orange card has no address, but only a mailbox. At the end of the communication is the strange "personal communication number", which should lead to the recipients feel safe and call back. But the consumer advice center warns: the callers could ask about sensitive information such as name or account number to use the data. Caution is announced when calling such, because the goal is clear: the extraction of personal data for subscription or cost traps that can turn out to be a serious financial mistake.

what to do in an emergency?

In the event of a suspicious call or such a card, it is advisable to contact the consumer center immediately. These not only offer a first point of contact, but also comprehensive advice on various topics. Even if the costs are approximately 13.70 euros over 0900 numbers and the callers are asked to checkout for half an hour of conversation, the time invested is reasonable when it comes to protection against fraud and data abuse. Talks to these numbers are also billed after actual duration. This has the advantage that they no longer pay more than they actually called. In any case: claims from such cards can be very misleading, so it is advisable not to take any rash steps.

For everyone who discover the false report in their mailboxes, the Consumer Authority Council is unequivocally: "Throw away and not call!"

For more information on fraud stitches and how you can effectively protect yourself, visit the pages of stern.de and vzhh.de .