The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is a victim of telephone fraud. Because scammers use phone numbers from the authorities for fraudulent calls.
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Fraudsters misuse BSI telephone numbers
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The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) warns on its Facebook page of dubious calls coming from a BSI number and a two-digit extension. For example, this number is displayed: “+49228958244”. Possibly also in the variant “0228958244”. The BSI therefore contacted the Federal Network Agency and filed a criminal complaint.
Technical background: Call ID spoofing
The scammers use a technique called call ID spoofing to display fake phone numbers. Call ID spoofing is widespread in fraudulent calls and is often used by gangsters in connection with the police emergency number (110), for example. The people being called should be reassured by the display of the known emergency number on the display of their telephone.
We present this attack tactic here: Call ID spoofing – this is how you protect yourself from fraudulent calls.
But it is less obvious why fraudsters use BSI telephone numbers of all things. Nobody knows these numbers and therefore such a number cannot give the called person a sense of security.
That’s what the BSI advises
The Federal Office for Information Security expressly warns against disclosing personal data to callers or complying with their requests. Instead, you should end the calls immediately and report this to the BSI service center on the toll-free number 08002741000.
Unfortunately, the BSI does not reveal what the callers want. The BSI speaks only very vaguely of an “abusive background”.
