Do you know this feeling? You come back home after a very intense day to discover a bill in your postbox which is already overdue. A brief sensation of frustration is quickly replaced by relief: this is just another Mr. Ripley-Wannabe sending his regards. Today’s entry is going to be highly practical, albeit a little different in nature – we shall talk about fraud. Taking a concrete recent example, we will also look at what kind of appeals are currently en vogue and how one is trying to bring you to action and skip thinking altogether.
A couple of weeks ago, I registered a new legal entity. Before I could say “blueberry pie,” I had post delivered to me. Allegedly, it was sent from the district court with a request to immediately pay 701€ in fees (or else!). This is not the first time such post has reached me. Apparently, the fraudulent business is thriving as requested amounts are rising year by year. I decided to dissect what screams “FRAUD” right into your face even if you are caught off guard and see how one tries to manipulate you into immediate action. To make sure all pitfalls are identified, I consulted a dear friend of mine, Josephine Langheld, who holds a position with the district court of Potsdam.
First off, the proud header is referring to a “district court” (Amtsgericht) without stating its location. To intensify the intrigue, the invoice is sent from a non-existent “payment center” in Frankfurt-am-Main (the most populous city of the state of Hesse) while the prime decoration and adornment of the otherwise minimalistic “official” letter is… the coat of arms of North Rhine-Westphalia – probably because this is the largest state in Germany or maybe just because it is so very pretty. All in all, the paper, the font, the barcode do look similar to those of an official letter; I have to grant that to the creator.
The next sign is the send-out date: 24.06. This is exactly the date when my legal entity was registered. No matter how fast our local district is (or for that matter – that of Frankfurt), there is no chance in hell they would send anything out exactly on the day of registration. Besides, you must prove all fees are paid in full for the registration to happen in the first place.
Probably the brightest sign that you are looking at a scam is, of course, the IBAN-Number: the first two letters ES stand for Spain and the last time I checked, Potsdam and Frankfurt were still in Germany (even though Spain won the European Championship). The stated “service” for which I am supposed to pay the whopping 701€ is referencing a non-existent position. While we are on that point – the high payment amount is a sign per se as anything above approximately 200 euros is already suspicious.
Next, I am only given three days to pay – so me receiving the letter on June 28 makes me already late. Such a short payment period is non-existent with any reputable organization. The time pressure I am put under is supposed to limit my mental capacity to see the scam for what it is. One way or another – if not compliant, I am threatened with 25 euros in additional fees and charges. Here we find a reference to an actually existing fees catalog but without the stated “KV 1403” position in it. Finally, in the signature, I am not given a phone number or an email to contact the authority should I have any questions – neither time nor opportunity to ask questions with a clear focus to trigger my bias to action. Yet I am addressed in the most polite and distancing form imaginable (Hochachtungsvoll) from a distinguished “Doctor” and a judge from the court. The last point is, of course, a clear appeal to status and authority which is supposed to add credibility to the invoice. This is ironic as the invoicing process is not in the responsibility of court judges.
One thing is clear: I definitely should not pay this bill (yay! I’ve just saved 700€, let’s go shopping). But what should I do? Reporting the case to the police or even online is a sound idea. That and staying vigilant. And now, let’s enjoy a fabulous weekend!
