The European Consumer Centre Austria (ECC) is currently receiving complaints of consumers regarding officially looking letters about a "first prize".
The writing starts with a notification about a first prize win of 89.000 Euros from a lottery. It then requests the consumers to call the given number in order to make an appointment with the law firm "Dr. Weber & Partner".
To see what the letter looks like, click on the link below.
Various indications of fraud
ECC Austria warns against calling. The law firm does not exist and the writing is highly unserious. Various details indicate fraud like misspelling and the non-functional QR code.
In general, consumers cannot take part in a lottery without giving the organisers their explicit permission. It is therefore not possible to win without participating.
As the research of ECC Austria showed that a law firm with an almost similar name exists in Cologne, Germany. The address on the letter is the same, but the real law firm distances itself from it and has already brought charges against its authors at the public prosecutor in Lübeck.
Tips from ECC Austria
- Don’t react to the letter and don’t call the phone number.
- If you were harmed by this fraud, you can also claim it at the public prosecutor in Lübeck. The file number is 704 Js 34624/14. Make sure to send a copy of the letter with your claim.
