The consumer advice center has issued a warning regarding a letter currently circulating, allegedly sent in the name of "Deutsche Bahn." The compensation notice, purportedly from the company, mentions a specific compensation amount, train number, and travel date. It is sent with the subject: "Important Update on Your Train Ticket Refund."
This phishing email is particularly notable due to the unusual approach taken by the criminals. Customers are informed that a previously non-existent request is being granted, and this request now needs to be activated. According to officials in their statement, the criminals are relying on the fact that customers will not question the legitimacy but will simply be eager to receive the money.
This attempted fraud becomes particularly obvious when considering that the indicated delay date is set for tomorrow. Additionally, there are further signs of phishing: impersonal salutation ("Dear Sir/Madam"), a link in the email, and evidently incorrect information.
According to the experts, they explicitly state: "We recommend moving such emails to the spam folder without responding. If you use the services of 'Deutsche Bahn,' check in the app or on the website to see if there are any similar prompts."
In all cases, it is generally advised: delete messages immediately and do not respond under any circumstances. Many people often wonder if they have done something wrong because they receive such spam messages. Here, reassurance can be provided.
Nowadays, fraudsters are working with highly intelligent machines. These machines generate hundreds of number combinations per second—until eventually an actual number randomly turns up, which is then contacted. The same applies to combinations of letters and email addresses. Furthermore, your email could have emerged in a data breach and consequently fallen into the hands of fraudsters.
In plain terms: Even if you do not browse "dangerous sites," you could once be hit with a message like this.
As long as you don't respond, nothing can happen to you. It only becomes dangerous if you click on links and enter personal data such as passwords or account numbers.
These spam emails typically appear in waves every two or three months. During these times, you may receive several messages over a few days. Eventually, the spam stops - until an automated machine randomly targets your phone number or email address again a few months later.
In one example that our editorial team has received, three different messages arrived within a few days. In this case, the recipient simply didn't react or even report the messages as spam using the SMS function.
The advantage: After some time, your phone recognizes the sender and automatically directs the message to the spam folder without sending you a separate notification.