The police have recently become aware of a case of this telephone scam - investigators are currently assuming that the fraudsters will contact further victims by telephone.

The case

At the end of May, the phone rang for an elderly couple from Greifenstein. Apparently an employee of the Swiss company “Pflegeservice Smart” of United Swiss Marketing AG was on the line. The man involved the callee in a conversation about home care, levels of care and how to apply for care services with which the company could provide support.

After the phone call, a hefty service fee in the form of a bill of 129 euros landed in the couple's mailbox. The two people from Greifenstein did the only right thing: they lodged an objection to the invoice via email.

The scam: bill for unsolicited telephone advice

Apparently scammers are trying to make money over the phone. In addition to the variant described above - in which a consultation is charged with a horrendous bill - the police and consumer advice centers are aware of other scams. Employees of pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies or health insurance companies that either offer services or, in connection with the Corona situation, nutritional supplements are given priority.

This is followed by invoices for the consultation, for sample packs or for a subscription, which were not mentioned in the telephone conversation. There are also known cases in which companies send a debt collection letter requesting payment of the claims.

Information about the scams and tips on how to behave can be found online on the consumer advice centers website: ( HERE )

Police and consumer advice centers advise:

  • Don't get involved in advertising calls. Just end the conversation!
  • If you receive unsolicited commercial calls, note the date, time and reason for the call as well as the caller's name, company and phone number. Contact your local consumer advice center with this information.
  • Contracts concluded over the telephone are valid! If you receive an order confirmation even though you have, for example, only agreed to the sending of information material, cancel immediately and in writing, preferably by registered mail.
  • Whenever you conclude a contract, only provide the necessary data.
  • Never give out your account number if you don't know the person you're talking to.

Connection to Bonafair and Mönchshofer?

This scam with the telephone rip-off and subsequent packages or invoices for consulting services has already been noticed in another context. The relevant companies here are Bonafair, which have already been condemned for this but are continuing undaunted. ( HERE )
The name Mönchshofer AG has also recently appeared. ( HERE )

What all three have in common is the address of the company headquarters in the imprint of the company website.

Source: Dillenburg police

Already read? Telephone rip-off care service Smart


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