The Federal Network Agency said it received 85,158 complaints about number misuse last year. In 2024, there were almost twice as many, with 154,624 complaints, which was a record.

The Bonn-based agency did not give a reason for the significant decline in complaints.

Most of these scams involve text messages – for example, a parcel for which you are supposed to pay a customs fee.

Fraudsters also contact their victims via chat messages or phone calls.

The number of parcel fraud attempts, which were still widespread in 2024, decreased last year, with some criminals apparently changing their approach.

The network agency switched off around 6,200 numbers due to number misuse, a similar number to the previous year.

A good 2,000 numbers were banned from collecting payments.

“We are effectively protecting consumers from number misuse,” Federal Network Agency President Klaus Müller said.

“We rely on information from citizens to track and combat number fraud.”

Many citizens complained last year about automated voice prompts, expensive waiting loops, router hacking and fake hotlines.

The so-called grandchild scam has reportedly been on the decline for several years. This involves a fraudster making contact via text or chat message and pretending to be a family member who urgently needs money.

Sometimes the victim’s personal details are requested, which are later used for other types of scams.

dpa