Telephone competition fraud is a common rip-off scam. The police give tips.

12 tips against competition rip-offs – the most important thing to start with:

  1. Police give 12 tips to avoid falling into such a trap
  2. Check bank statements and telephone bills
  3. Don't make any promises on the phone

In most cases, the fraudsters are remarkably well organized and work extremely professionally. Calls often come from real call centers.
Just last week, the police reported that a woman from Zweibrücken had lost 1,300 euros as a result of such a telephone scam. According to another report, a woman from Ludwigshafen reacted completely correctly and ended the call.

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12 police tips to avoid falling into these traps:

The fraudsters work highly professionally and often operate from call centers. They are usually also able to manipulate the telephone number that is shown on the display when a call arrives.

  1. The callers usually try to put pressure on their victims. In some cases this goes as far as threatening to report someone, under whatever pretext. But once the victims pay, they continue to be called to make further demands.
  2. It is also popular for fraudsters to pose as representatives of the state. As an example: A fake public prosecutor calls because there is supposedly a fraud case against the victim. The story that is often used is that the victim took part in a competition but did not pay the required fee. Fraudsters often pretend to be police officers on the phone.
  3. If you have never taken part in a lottery or competition, you may not have won and you may not owe anyone anything.
  4. You should never transfer anything or spend money on it in order to be able to claim a supposed profit. Any promise of profit that requires submission is fraud. Under no circumstances should you dial special telephone numbers that are subject to charges, e.g. with the area codes 0900, 0180, 0137, etc.
  5. You should check your account statements several times a month. The telephone bill should also be looked at more closely.
  6. Have your bank reverse unauthorized debits. If you object to a debit within a certain period of time, this will be carried out without any problems.
  7. If unauthorized debits appear from your account, you should also file a report, as this could be a case of fraud.
  8. If unjustified high amounts appear on your telephone bill, you can object to the relevant telephone provider. This then has the option of only debiting the authorized amounts. If this is no longer possible, you can revoke the debit from the bank and only transfer the amount with the legitimate claims. However, it is advisable to always consult the telephone provider first.
  9. Another scam is the “coffee ride” in connection with competitions. People are often persuaded to take part in such rides with the promise that a prize would be paid out at an event. Contact is made by telephone, but also by email or post.
  10. If you are asked by email or letter to call a specific telephone number to claim a prize, you should under no circumstances do this. The sole purpose of the conversation is to incur particularly high fees.
  11. A contract supposedly signed by you? Such real or fake degrees may be revoked and challenged for fraudulent misrepresentation. The consumer advice centers offer sample letters for this purpose.
  12. Never make promises over the phone!

In general, you should show a healthy level of suspicion when it comes to promises of competitions. If you receive various offers on the phone or by email or post, it's better to sleep on it for a night or talk to someone about it before reacting too quickly. You can usually tell from a little distance that things are fishy.

Related to this topic:
Fake police officers on the phone: Tips for prevention.
“Fake Cops” and “Grandchildren’s Trick”; Fraud has been flooding the region since the beginning of the year

Source: Die Rheinpfalz
Article image: Shutterstock / By Motortion Films


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