The volume of complaints remains at a similarly high level as in previous years (2021: 155,868 complaints).
The number of consumer complaints about phone number misuse will remain at a consistently high level in 2022.
The variety of topics covered by the complaints is still large and is constantly changing
, says Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency. We consistently protect consumers from illegal business models and unjustified costs.
Consistent measures
To combat phone number misuse, the Federal Network Agency switched off 1,446 phone numbers in 2022. The Federal Network Agency imposed billing and collection bans on 3,697 phone numbers, meaning that consumers could not be billed or debited for unauthorized costs.
The order to switch off telephone numbers was primarily carried out in cases in which those affected complained about unwanted short messages or advertising faxes, harassing call attempts, false pop-up error messages and fake hotlines. The shutdowns prevent further use of the phone numbers for abusive purposes.
Bans on billing and collection were issued particularly in cases in which hacking of routers or telephone systems resulted in paid connections and thus generated unlawful costs for consumers.
Great variety of topics
The reasons for complaints are extremely diverse and have constantly changing focuses. While the majority of consumers complained about SMS spam in 2021, most complaints in 2022 were about phone number manipulation. However, the legislature has significantly improved consumer protection here. Since December 2022, German phone numbers have not been allowed to be displayed as fictitious numbers for calls from foreign networks. This excludes mobile phone numbers in international roaming. This should enable consumers to place more trust in calls with a German number again.
All measures taken by the Federal Network Agency are continuously published at www.bundesnetzagentur.de/massnahmeliste .
Report phone number abuse
In order to prosecute phone number misuse, the Federal Network Agency relies on information from consumers. To submit a complaint, the Federal Network Agency provides a series of online forms on its website that are adapted to the respective case constellation and in which you specifically ask for information that is needed to further investigate the facts of the case and, if necessary, to take measures are needed. Consumers should therefore always choose to lodge a complaint using the appropriate online form if possible.
The online forms and further information on the subject of phone number misuse can be found at www.bundesnetzagentur.de/aergermitrufnummern .
Source:
Federal Network Agency
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