Expensive news! “Hello, I saw you and I think you’re really cute. Please send me a text message to 855xx!”.

Have you ever received a text message like that? Or a call like that?

If someone texts you so enticingly that they want to get to know you, you might call the number provided. What comes is some kind of musical duo and a voice from the tape that tries to keep you engaged in a crooning voice. “Don’t hang up, we’ve got a great chance for you to win…” or something like that. By the time you realized that you were being ripped off, it had already cost a few euros. It's a shame, the credit card is almost empty again.

Or: You will be informed via SMS on your display that you have won something and will be asked to write back via SMS or click on a link. You can't remember taking part in anything, but good... Here too, the realization that an SMS to the five-digit number costs 1.99 euros (or more, because there is no upper limit here!) comes into play usually too late...

How did they get your name and number? Well, you've probably ordered something online and given your cell phone number and name. Or send a free SMS over the Internet and provide a few personal details. Or took part in a competition, maybe filled out a few postcards…? The following scenario would also be conceivable: One of your friends who has your number saved in the phone book has installed an app that has access to the contacts and collects all the numbers. If you want to know more about this, read our article about app permissions .

However, companies are not allowed to do whatever they want with your data unless you have expressly agreed to this. However, tracking down the actual originator of the text message to complain can be difficult.

Therefore, in practice the following applies:

  • Do not answer any SMS with 0900 numbers or even five-digit premium SMS and delete them immediately. Both variants can basically cost who knows what, it has nothing to do with the usual SMS or telephone tariffs!
  • It's best to ignore promises of winnings on your cell phone.
  • If possible, only give your cell phone number to people you trust. And don't have it listed in public telephone directories.
  • If you are completely bombarded with such text messages, it might be worth changing your phone number. But it's not free: the respective provider can tell you how much it costs (between around 5 and 15 euros).
  • For internet offerings of any kind: First look at what the “Terms and Conditions” (General Terms and Conditions) say about data protection. Phrases like “…agree that the data will be passed on to third parties…” can easily lead to such advertising scams.
  • You can also sign up for a “Robinson list,” declaring that you don’t want to receive any advertising. However, not all providers adhere to this, so this is not a guarantee.
  • If you suspect phone number misuse, you can complain to the Federal Network Agency !
  • It's not always just SMS: ringing through to entice you to call back - you want to know who called... so always look at the display first and see what kind of number it says!
  • By the way, the numbers can also be “camouflaged”, for example with the country code (this eliminates the zero!) and a separator in the middle.
    It then looks like this: (=0049 for Germany + (0)900!!!)
  • In addition, some international area codes are also similar to German area codes. For example, the area code of Liberia (00231) is similar to the area code of Dortmund (0231), the area code of Madagascar (00261) is similar to the area code of Koblenz (0261) or the area code of Serbia (00381) is similar to the area code of Rostock. If in doubt, you should find out more about unknown numbers.
  • If there is a “+” in front of the number, you should also be careful: this stands for “00” and is therefore also the beginning of an area code for foreign countries! Example above: +49900…

Source: Checked4You


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