Report Scam Calls in Germany: The Bundesnetzagentur Guide
Short answer
In Germany, scam and spam calls are reported to the Bundesnetzagentur through its online forms, one for each type of problem, such as one-ring calls, spoofed numbers or marketing calls without consent. Have the date, time, displayed number and a clear description ready. Crimes such as fraud or threats go to the police on 110 or through online police reporting.
In 2025 the Bundesnetzagentur, Germany’s regulator for telecoms, received 85,158 complaints about number misuse and 39,842 written complaints about unlawful marketing calls. If you are new to Germany, it may not be obvious that this agency, rather than the police or your phone company, is where most nuisance and scam calls should be reported. The regulator stresses that it depends on these reports to act.
What the Bundesnetzagentur handles, and what it does not
The regulator covers two areas: misuse of phone numbers under the Telecommunications Act, and unlawful marketing calls under the Act against Unfair Competition. Many other phone problems belong elsewhere.
| Criterion | Report to | Note |
|---|---|---|
| One-ring or bait call | Bundesnetzagentur | only with a displayed number |
| Spoofed caller number | Bundesnetzagentur, police if fraud | report fast, data is deleted |
| Marketing call without consent | Bundesnetzagentur | only if a conversation took place |
| SMS and messenger spam | Bundesnetzagentur | most common complaint |
| Unknown third-party charge | your provider and the Bundesnetzagentur | dispute within eight weeks |
| Fraud, extortion, threats | police | 110 or online police report |
| Contract or billing dispute | telecoms arbitration board | application under s. 68 TKG |
Source: Bundesnetzagentur, trouble with phone numbers; section 68 TKG
Under the heading “Ärger mit Rufnummern” (trouble with phone numbers), the regulator runs separate forms for one-ring calls, number manipulation, harassing call attempts, recorded messages, SMS spam, third-party charges, missing price information, expensive hold queues, router hacking, fake pop-up warnings and faked local presence. Marketing calls have their own form. The overview is on its page Ärger mit Rufnummern (in German).
When a crime is involved, the regulator is not enough. If someone tried to get money from you by posing as police, a relative or your bank, or if you were threatened, call 110 or file a report with the police of your federal state, most of which offer online reporting. You can report the number to the regulator as well, so it can be switched off. Our guide to the fake police call scam covers that situation.
Pick the form that fits best. The regulator says it needs the right information at first contact to act quickly.
Reporting when your German is limited
The forms are in German, and so is most of the regulator’s guidance. Browser translation is good enough to understand the questions. What matters more is how you write your description.
Keep it short and factual. Use full dates (19.10.2026) and the 24-hour clock (14:35), and copy numbers exactly as they appeared. A useful structure in plain German: “Am 19.10.2026 um 14:35 Uhr rief mich die Nummer +49 … an. Der Anrufer sagte, er sei von Firma X, und bot Y an. Ich habe nie eingewilligt.” (On 19 October 2026 at 14:35, the number +49 … called me. The caller said they were from company X and offered Y. I never gave consent.)
Short sentences survive translation. Long ones with several clauses often do not.
What details your complaint needs
The forms ask for the details. It still helps to collect them first, especially if several calls are involved.
- Your own number and your phone provider
- Date and time of every call
- The number shown on your display, ideally as a screenshot
- Whether you called back and what happened
- For marketing: company name, product offered, how the call went
- Whether and when you ever gave consent
- Bills, emails or contract documents, if any
Two points decide marketing complaints. A conversation must have taken place; according to the regulator, a call attempt that only shows in your call log is not a breach of the marketing-call ban. And the caller must have promoted specific products or services without your prior consent. Typical topics in the regulator’s experience are electricity and gas contracts, insurance, magazine subscriptions and prize draws.
With spoofed numbers, speed matters. According to the regulator, providers usually delete traffic data after seven days, after which the origin of a call can no longer be traced. Use only the dedicated form for number manipulation in these cases.
How to submit
The online forms are the fastest route; the regulator itself says that is how your data reaches it quickest. You can also write to Bundesnetzagentur, Nördeltstraße 5, 59872 Meschede. For third-party charges, mark the letter “Drittanbieter”.
For marketing calls, take a second step: withdraw any consent you may have given, ideally by email to the company. You can withdraw at any time, without giving reasons, and the company must comply immediately. Ask the company when and how it supposedly received your consent. Since October 2021, every business that markets by phone must document consent and keep the record for five years. A company that cannot produce one has a problem, and that is exactly what interests the regulator.
Marketing callers are also not allowed to hide their number. Under section 15(2) of the TDDDG they must transmit their assigned number, and the regulator can fine breaches up to €300,000.
What happens after you report
The regulator checks for a breach and then has several tools. For number misuse they include warnings for minor cases, switching numbers off, bans on billing and debt collection, bans on porting numbers and enforcement penalties. In suitable cases it orders refunds of charges already paid. Its measures are usually immediately enforceable, even if the company appeals.
Source: Bundesnetzagentur press releases of 15 Jan 2025 and 9 Feb 2026
For unlawful marketing calls, fines can reach €300,000 under section 20 of the Act against Unfair Competition. In 2025 the regulator handled 13 major fine proceedings with fines totalling over €1.099 million, and for the first time it penalised companies for failing to document consent.
Where reporting hits its limits
Without a displayed number, the regulator does not investigate one-ring calls, number manipulation or harassing call attempts. Since December 2022 more calls arrive without a number, because calls from abroad may no longer display German numbers. Rejecting anonymous calls is the better defence there; see how to block spam calls.
The law sets no fines for harassing call attempts where no conversation took place, though the regulator can still switch numbers off. It generally treats calls on weekdays before 8 am or after 8 pm, marketing calls on Sundays and public holidays, or more than three calls a day as harassment.
Calls with a foreign link are hard to pursue. Foreign numbers are outside German number administration and perpetrators abroad are difficult to reach. Our guides to the one-ring scam and caller ID spoofing explain the background.
If your company markets by phone, documenting consent is no longer a formality. Recording consent cleanly and acting on withdrawals at once avoids exactly the proceedings the regulator brought for the first time in 2025. A software development partner can build that into your systems.
The next time a marketing call reaches you, write down the time, company and product straight away and file the complaint the same day. To check whether a displayed number is even plausible, use our number checker.
Classify a number: Uses the prefix to tell whether a number is landline, mobile, a special-rate range or foreign, and roughly what calling back costs.
Questions people ask
Are the Bundesnetzagentur complaint forms available in English?
The forms are in German. Browser translation works well enough to fill them in. Keep your description short and factual, with dates, times and numbers, so nothing gets lost in translation.
Does reporting cost anything?
No. Complaints to the Bundesnetzagentur are free, online or by post, and you do not need a lawyer.
Will I get my money back if I report?
Not automatically. The regulator can order refunds or ban billing in suitable cases, but you should also dispute the charge with your provider yourself, within eight weeks of receiving the bill.
Can I report calls with no number shown?
Only in some cases. The regulator does not investigate one-ring calls, spoofing or harassing call attempts without a displayed number. For marketing calls or recorded messages, the content of the call can be enough.
