Dubious callers are once again pretending to be employees of Stadtwerke Gießen and trying to obtain sensitive customer data. The energy supplier is asking people to report suspicious calls.
Dubious callers are currently trying again to pressure customers of Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) to disclose sensitive data. To achieve this, they sometimes pretend to be SWG employees. The following case was reported to SWG: In an initial phone call with a lady, a woman claimed to be an employee of SWG and was very demanding in asking for the meter number - allegedly "because of the new tariff". The lady reacted correctly, did not give out the number and asked for another call half an hour later.
When the phone rang again 30 minutes later, the lady's son answered the call. Once again, the caller introduced herself - quickly and incomprehensibly at first, but then, when asked, as Mrs Schwarz from the company Deutscher Energiekostensenker. She then quickly got to the point: supposedly it was about a new tariff. And in order to finalise it, she needed various personal details. When the gentleman realised that this was an unsolicited and therefore unlawful advertising call, the suspected fraudster hung up without comment. Important detail: The call came from the number 00166360278.
Freeloaders exploit the price turbulence
Anyone who enters the alleged company name into an internet search engine will invariably receive warnings about scams on the first page. "Obviously, dubious companies are taking advantage of the current situation of general energy price increases," says SWG company spokesperson Ulli Boos, assessing the situation and adds: "We are very grateful to our customer for describing this attempted fraud to us in such detail." In fact, SWG asks people to report such incidents. "If we find out about it, we warn our customers," continues Ulli Boos.
However, such calls cannot be prevented. That's why it's important to be prepared and react correctly. Basically, it's enough to follow a simple rule: "As soon as someone asks for personal details or a meter number, it's best to simply hang up," advises Ulli Boos. "That way, you don't give even rhetorically skilled fraudsters a target to attack in the first place."
Those affected can report reports of attempted fraud via various channels: by phone on 0800 23 02 100, by email to info@stadtwerke-giessen.de or by WhatsApp to 0151 15213066.