Calls coming from numbers with area code +45assigned to Denmarkare not automatically dangerous, but in most cases for those living in Italy they represent an anomalous contact, which deserves proper attention. This is because if we have no personal, professional or administrative relationship with Denmark, answer these unwanted calls exposes to risks that outweigh the potential benefits. In this in-depth analysis we will see what phone calls from numbers with +45 are and why it is better not to answer (at least in the vast majority of cases).
What are the reasons for calls coming from the Danish area code +45?
A Danish number may have legitimate reasons for calling us. If we work with companies based in Denmark or have established business contacts with Danish companies, an international phone call may be part of ordinary administration. The same goes for recruiting: if you have done it application actually Scandinavian, a call with a Danish prefix could hide a concrete job opportunity. The problem arises when there are no ties to Denmark. In that case, the probability that it is telephone spam or, worse, a scam based on the use of foreign prefixes increases significantly. Among the most widespread schemes we find the advance payment fraudin which the person on the other end of the phone promises to receive a large cash prize (for example due to a win of some kind) to be unlocked by paying a smaller sum of money. Clearly there is no winning. It’s just a pretext to trap the most unwary users who are most likely to “drink the Kool-Aid” (ergo, to believe anything and commit suicide, figuratively in this case).
Another type of calls that can be quite insidious are represented by false job offerswho exploit the attraction of high salaries to obtain personal data or payments for non-existent courses and practices. And then there are the increasingly widespread romance scams, or romance scamswhich instead focus on the gradual construction of an emotional relationship to induce the user to trust the attacker who usually blackmails his victim to extort money. We could stand here and list many other forms that scams that start with a foreign telephone prefix, in this case Danish, can take, but the mechanism used is essentially always the same: the attempt is made to induce the victim to believe that the call is legitimate and potentially advantageous. Beyond the form, the goal is almost always moneydirectly or indirectly. Even before the money, however, scammers are looking for information: financial data, personal data, login credentials, consumer habits and even health information.
How to protect yourself from telephone scams involving numbers with the +45 prefix in Denmark
Given the potential danger hidden behind +45 numbers in Denmark, let’s see what to do to protect yourself. We illustrate this in the following three points.
- Ignore the call: If you do not already have relationships of some kind with Danish people and/or companies, it is highly likely that the call is for scam purposes.
- Don’t open links: if in addition to receiving calls, you are contacted (for example via WhatsApp) by numbers that you have not saved in your address book and which come from +45 area codes, do not reply to the messages, do not click on the links and do not agree to download attachments of any kind.
- Block persistent numbers: in this way you will reduce future exposure by the same number. In addition to blocking it, report it (if you have the opportunity to do so), so as to help stem the phenomenon.
