A taped announcement calls you on behalf of Interpol or Europol? Then don’t delay with the call. There is a scam behind it.
- In German-speaking countries, many people receive calls that claim to come from the police.
- The callers report with tape recordings and allegedly come from international authorities.
- It’s best to just hang up and not respond to the demands.
When an unknown number calls you and a recorded voice answers on behalf of Interpol, Europol or another police agency, you are dealing with a phone scam.
As you continue, you will be prompted to press 1 on your smartphone to be connected to an officer. If you do that, you will be connected to a real person who wants to engage you in conversation for various reasons. For example because of an alleged arrest warrant, a gang of burglars in your area or because your ID card is misused for criminal offenses.
The aim of the call is for you to give out your personal information. These are allegedly needed for further treatment of the case, reports the press portal of the police. The calls can originate from landline numbers as well as cellphone numbers. As soon as you realize you are receiving a call of this nature, it is best to hang up immediately and do not engage in conversation.
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At the beginning of March there were only a few fraudulent calls. In the meantime, however, the scam seems to be widespread and has been refined. In the beginning, the calls were only made in English, but now the scammers have adapted and are also contacting you in German.
Don’t let these calls pressure you, and definitely don’t engage in conversation. The scammers are most likely already able to do something with information that you consider trivial. Hangs up immediately and ignores calls.
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