Beware of Telephone Scams: The Word You Should Never Say

Fraudsters manipulate the recording of the phone call

The scam that the consumer advice center warns about is perfidious: scammers call and ask seemingly harmless questions like “Can you hear me?” or “Are you the homeowner?”. The aim is to provoke a clear “yes”, which can later be used as approval for an alleged contract. The fraudsters often edit the phone call together so that it gives the impression that the person called has agreed.

Even if it sounds banal at first, this “yes” can have enormous financial consequences. A short time later, invoices start arriving for goods or services that were never ordered. And if you refuse to pay, the fraudsters threaten with debt collection or even a negative Schufa entry.

Take protective measures

But there are ways to protect yourself. Basically, you should be skeptical about unknown calls and avoid answering “yes”, even to seemingly harmless questions. Instead, according to the consumer advice center, you can answer with complete sentences, for example “I can hear you” or “That’s my real name”.

It’s also important to remember the details of the call: the caller’s name and company, date, time, and what was discussed on the phone. This information can be important later to defend yourself.

You should also be aware that many contracts are only valid with a written summary. This means that a simple “yes” on the phone is not enough to conclude a contract. Written consent must be given, particularly for energy contracts, telephone and internet connections as well as competitions and lotteries.

Report incident

If you have fallen victim to fraud, it is important to act quickly. You shouldn’t just pay the bill, you should fight against it. For example, the sample letters from the consumer advice center can be used and reporting the incident to the Federal Network Agency is also recommended.

Editorial team finanzen.net