Suspected fraudsters have tried several times in recent weeks to obtain the bank details of customers of Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) - using different tactics. Last week, a man posed as an SWG employee to a customer from Rabenau-Odenhausen and asked for the meter reading. He then asked the man from Rabenau-Odenhausen to sign and return a direct debit authorisation that would be sent by post shortly. The suspicious SWG customer refused, whereupon the suspected fraudster hung up. "We would like to warn our customers against this and similar scams. You should not disclose any confidential information - especially not over the phone," emphasised Ina Weller, company spokesperson for Stadtwerke Gießen AG.
In October, a suspected fraudster had also apparently tried several times to elicit the details of a customer's bank account from Giessen over the phone. According to the customer, the man pretended to be working on behalf of SWG. He gained her trust after he was able to tell the woman the first few digits of her customer number over the phone.
"Our employees would never ask for account details when calling. If this does happen, customers should immediately become suspicious and contact us," explains Ina Weller.
Customers of Stadtwerke Gießen who have received similar calls over the past few days and weeks can call the service number 0800 23 02 100 (free of charge from the German landline network and all German mobile phone networks) to contact SWG employees and obtain advice.
12.11.2012