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Report unauthorized telephone advertising

Service Description

The term telephone advertising, also known as cold calls, refers to calls that are intended to sell you goods or offer you services without your prior consent to the call. Subscriptions or contracts are often advertised. In many cases, the aim is to persuade the called party to conclude a contract during the call. Calls which are claimed to be for the sole purpose of market or opinion research can turn into advertising calls if the caller goes on to emphasize certain products/goods or services of certain companies in the further course of the call Advertising calls also remain unauthorized if the caller prevents his or her telephone number from being displayed on your device (so-called number suppression) or causes a telephone number not assigned to him or her to be displayed on your device (so-called number placement).

If you receive unauthorized advertising calls, you can file a complaint with the Federal Network Agency. The authority can prosecute the calls as administrative offenses and impose fines or issue warnings.

What is not unauthorized telephone advertising?

  • "Phishing calls": do not count as advertising calls, even if company names or products are mentioned. With "phishing calls", fraudsters try to obtain sensitive personal data, e.g. your passwords or bank details. The calls are not intended to advertise or sell products, but to obtain information about you. Because such calls are often connected with criminal offenses, you should file a criminal complaint with the police if you receive such calls.
  • Calls made solely for the purpose of market research or opinion polling are not telephone advertising, nor are calls that are (election) advertising for political parties.

Process flow

You can submit your complaint online or by post.

If you wish to lodge your complaint online:

  • Go to the website of the Federal Network Agency and follow the instructions.
  • You should be able to provide the following information about the unauthorized advertising call:
    • Your personal details, date and time of the call, if possible the number shown on your phone display
    • Name of the caller or the company and the products and/or services that were advertised by telephone.
    • Information about whether you gave your consent to be contacted by telephone before the call.
    • Information on whether you later revoked your consent and were nevertheless called again.
    • A description of the content and course of the call that is as accurate as possible.
  • The Federal Network Agency will examine the facts on which your complaint is based.
  • You may be considered as a witness in the further course of the fine proceedings.
  • You will receive confirmation of receipt of your complaint.
  • As a rule, you will not be informed separately about the outcome of the fine proceedings
  • The Federal Network Agency publishes a list of measures on the Internet, which includes the fines it has imposed.

If you wish to submit the complaint by post:

  • Download the form online and print it out.
  • Complete the form.
  • Send the completed form to the Federal Network Agency by post, fax or e-mail.
  • You can also submit the complaint informally by e-mail or in writing by letter or fax.
  • The Federal Network Agency will examine the facts on which your complaint is based.
  • You will not receive any separate notification of the outcome of the fine proceedings
  • The Federal Network Agency publishes a list of measures on the Internet, which includes the fines it has imposed.

Requirements

  • You are a consumer, i.e. a person who does not pursue a commercial or self-employed professional activity.
  • Unauthorized telephone advertising takes place, i.e. goods (products) or services were advertised in a telephone call made to you and you have not given the advertising company consent for the call or have given such consent but revoked it before the advertising call.

Which documents are required?

none

What are the fees?

none

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

none

Processing duration

The Federal Network Agency is usually notified promptly of a complaint received by it.

Legal basis

Appeal

  • Forms: Notification of receipt of unauthorized telephone advertising
  • Online procedure possible: yes
  • Written form required: no
  • Personal appearance required: no (but see below)

What else should I know?

The complainants may be considered as witnesses in the event of fine proceedings following the complaint and may be summoned in person for an oral hearing.

Further Information

Author

Forwarding service: Deep link to the original portal

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Technically approved by

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Professionally released on

14.08.2018

Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6PLus)

Start your request directly online:

Competent Authority

Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA), Bereich Rufnummernmissbrauch

Address
Nördeltstr. 5
59872 Meschede, Kreis- und Hochschulstadt
Telephone
+49 291 9955-206
Fax
+49 632 1934-111
E-Mail
Contact us
WWW
www.bundesnetzagentur.de
Opening times

Monday 09:00 - 17:00

Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00

Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00

Thursday 09:00 - 18:00

Friday 09:00 - 16:00