Report number misuse

If a telephone number is used illegally, the Federal Network Agency can intervene and take appropriate measures.

A telephone number may be misused if

• you are put on hold on a chargeable number and your request is not processed.
• a company only provides a high-priced number as a telephone contact for contract questions
• you receive an announcement on the telephone to entice you to call back, e.g. by telling you that you have won a prize
• you are confronted with annoying call behavior, e.g. advertising calls on Sundays and public holidays
• Confusing, missing or incorrect price information about the connection costs when dialing an expensive number (e.g. (0)900 numbers, (0)180 numbers).
• No or incorrect price information is given at the beginning of a telephone call after dialling expensive numbers or after dialling call-by-call numbers.
• No price announcement is made for the connection costs of the transferred call when the call is transferred by a directory assistance service
• No forced disconnection of the call on the network side has taken place after one hour for a call to a (0)900 number
• the addressee is significantly misled in postal advertising letters with the purpose of submitting an answer at the specified telephone number
• you receive unsolicited advertising text messages or other electronic advertising messages via messengers (e.g. via Facebook, Whatsapp, SIMSme, Threema or Line)
• you receive e-mail spam in which telephone numbers are advertised (unsolicited advertising e-mails).
• You receive fax spam, i.e. unsolicited advertising faxes.
• you receive ping calls, i.e. calls where the telephone has only rung briefly in order to provoke a callback
• calls to expensive numbers are made automatically from your connection by a cell phone or Internet dialer
• your Internet router or telephone system has been hacked by a third party and chargeable connections are being generated as a result, or
• you are billed for inexplicable items such as subscription services on your telephone bill.

Proven unlawful use of the telephone number can be penalized depending on the extent of the infringement:

• reprimand or warning,
• ordering the disconnection of telephone numbers,
• billing and collection bans,
• porting bans,
• prohibition of business models or
• switching bans.

In order to combat number misuse, you should provide the Federal Network Agency with as much detailed information as possible on the facts of the number misuse. Existing documents such as itemized bills or screenshots of websites visited should be enclosed.

• all documents that can be used to reconstruct and prove the misuse of the telephone number
• You can submit complaints online on the website of the Federal Network Agency.

• Forms: PDF documents available for postal complaints
• Online procedure possible: yes
• Written form required: no
• Personal appearance required: no

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You can submit your complaint online or via a PDF form.

If you submit your complaint online:

• Go to the website of the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA ) and follow the instructions
• Fill in the fields provided as accurately as possible; you can also upload documents
• The BNetzA accepts your complaint and sends you a confirmation of receipt with a file number
• The BNetzA examines your complaint and, if necessary, initiates investigations which may lead to administrative proceedings
• Depending on the outcome of the proceedings, measures will be ordered
• The BNetzA provides information on all measures taken (except for reprimands and warnings) on its website:www.bundesnetzagentur.de/massnahmenliste
• You will also be regularly informed of the outcome of the procedure by individual notification

If you wish to submit the complaint by post, fax or e-mail:

• Download the form online(here) and print it out
• Fill out 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 BNetzA will accept your complaint and send you a confirmation of receipt with a file number
• The BNetzA examines your complaint and, if necessary, initiates investigations which may lead to administrative proceedings.
• Depending on the outcome of the proceedings, measures will be ordered
• The BNetzA provides information on all measures taken (except for reprimands and warnings) on its website: www.bundesnetzagentur.de/massnahmenliste
• You will also be regularly informed of the outcome of the proceedings by individual notification

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• Notification of a complaint received by the authority takes place promptly
• The processing time of the overall procedure varies depending on the complexity, evidence and volume of complaints.

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