Sending an application by email, paying directly online in the shop or sharing holiday experiences with friends – this is quick and easy thanks to online services. However, things get complicated when strangers gain access to your own account. Those affected are usually left in the dark: What do I have to do? Whom can I contact? Answers to this are difficult to find with many online service providers. This is evident not only in the consultations, but also in a sample from the Lower Saxony Consumer Center on the occasion of the nationwide Digital Day on June 24th.

“If you can no longer access your own account, you have to act quickly to prevent further damage,” says Kathrin Körber, legal expert at the Lower Saxony Consumer Center. “Information that is easy to find is then essential.” However, consumers repeatedly complain in consultations that they cannot access contact information and instructions from online service providers after a hacker attack. A current sample of 14 providers such as eBay, Google, PayPal, Instagram and Amazon has now confirmed these difficulties. Using seven search terms, such as “account hacked”, “account blocked” and “hacking”, the Lower Saxony consumer advice center tested whether the provider websites provided helpful and clear information. She also checked whether telephone contact was possible - often the easiest way for those affected to restore their account.

Few providers are convincing - some urgently need to make improvements

Only eBay offers a good overall package of search function and telephone customer service: All tested search terms lead to the appropriate item that refers to personal contact. The customer telephone is not available around the clock, but is at least available every day. Gmail also performs well in online searches: almost all terms lead to suitable articles on the website. However, those affected will search in vain for a telephone service.

Web.de is particularly noticeable negatively: none of the search terms lead to a hit. 

“This is particularly annoying since there has been no telephone service for free web.de accounts since 2022,” said the legal expert. 1&1, Amazon, Klarna and Telekom are also not consistently convincing when it comes to the search function. They do not offer suitable results for all search terms considered. In addition, the lack of sorting at Telekom makes it more difficult for those affected to search. After all, they all offer telephone contact. “Telekom stands out positively here. We are the only provider that offers all users a free telephone service almost around the clock, every day,” explains Körber.

Consumer advice center helps with instructions on account recovery

When your account is hacked, every minute counts: While those affected laboriously click through websites to find useful information, strangers have enough time to take over the identity and use it to do things like go shopping. “Providers should check their service accordingly, urgently improve the search function and make relevant support clearly visible,” demands Körber.

The Lower Saxony Consumer Center has compiled instructions for account recovery for the 14 online providers examined www.verbraucherzentrale-niedersachsen.de/hackerattack Consumers can also find tips here on how they can protect themselves from a hacker attack, for example using two-factor authentication.

Source: Lower Saxony Consumer Center

Also read: Alleged hackers are sending blackmail emails again


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