Status: 01/21/2023 12:46 p.m
In 2022, tens of thousands of people complained to the Federal Network Agency about fake calls. It was particularly often about a scam with fake police officers. Europol suspects that the perpetrators are mainly from Southeast Asia.
Complaints about so-called fake calls from alleged police authorities have increased significantly in the past year. According to this, the Federal Network Agency received at least 40,000 complaints about fake calls from alleged police authorities, as the authority informed the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (RND) on request. Scammers are behind such calls.
Rapid increase in the first half of the year
In the first half of the year there was a rapid increase, then the numbers fell again, it said. In January zero and in February four, but at the peak in July 9469 complaints about fake calls were registered. After that, the number dropped back to 60 in December. According to the RND, a spokeswoman for the Federal Network Agency pointed out that the information only represented a lower limit, i.e. minimum values.
Fake calls – allegedly from Europol
The calls are a scam in which an automated voice reports at the other end of the line – allegedly from Interpol, Europol, the Federal Criminal Police Office or other national and international police authorities.
Often it says: “This is a message from the Federal Police Department! – so: “This is a message from the Federal Police Department”. The fraudsters then warn about identity theft and try to get the money or private data of those affected.
Often difficult to identify perpetrators
Again and again, the police warn of the scam with fake calls. Last year, Europol announced that in most cases it was difficult to identify the perpetrators. The agency suspected many of the calls were coming from Southeast Asia.