Identity theft: tips from financial experts for those affected

Invoices for goods that have supposedly been ordered, unauthorized debt collection demands or unexplained debits from your bank account can be an indication that your own identity is being misused by fraudsters. What can those affected do? The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the consumer advice center provide tips.

Mainz/region. The perpetrators steal personal data such as name, date of birth, address, credit card or account numbers in order to conclude contracts at someone else's expense. The fraudsters obtain sensitive consumer data via phishing emails or data leaks from major providers. The State Criminal Police Office and the consumer advice center therefore advise you to be careful with passwords, PINs, bank details or credit card details.

Typical example case
A consumer has never ordered anything online. She doesn't even have an email address. She is all the more astonished when a debt collection agency demands payment from her for several online orders. The perpetrators only needed the name and address to order goods, which they then intercepted from the postal delivery person. Since the orders were placed on account and the consumer had no knowledge of the invoices, the online shop commissioned a debt collection company to collect the purchase prices.
On the occasion of “European Cyber ​​Security Month”, the State Criminal Police Office and the Rhineland-Palatinate Consumer Center are giving tips on how to behave in the event of identity theft:

– The house bank should be informed immediately. To be on the safe side, the affected accounts should be blocked by calling the emergency number 116 116.

– Anyone who suspects they have become a victim of identity theft should report the fraud to the police. This can be done, for example, at the internet guard of the respective federal state and in Rhineland-Palatinate at www.polizei.rlp.de/onlinewache.
– The passwords of the affected accounts should be replaced with secure passwords.
– Identity theft should be reported to Schufa and other credit agencies.
– Unauthorized debits should be reversed by the bank or credit card company.
– If debt collection companies then contact you with payment requests, the claim can be contradicted with a sample letter from the consumer advice center. (PM)