Is a collection agency, bailiff, or lawyer aggressively demanding payment for a transaction you're unaware of? Scammers regularly pose as such intermediaries.

If you receive a letter from a collection agency claiming you have not paid, there are several important things to consider:

Bailiffs and lawyers are not required to register with the FPS Economy, but they must be registered with their respective professional body. You can check whether a bailiff is registered on the website of the National Chamber of Bailiffs of Belgium. You can find a lawyer on the website of the Flemish Bar Association or on the website of the French-speaking and German-speaking Bar Association.

Also check whether you might be the victim of a hidden subscription.

On the website of the FPS Economy, you can find an overview of the different types of scams, with advice on how to distinguish genuine offers from fraudulent ones, as well as the best ways to respond.

Have you fallen victim to a scam and lost money or shared your bank details with scammers?

1. If you have shared your credit or bank card details, notify Card Stop immediately at 078 170 170 (+32 78 170 170 from abroad) to block your cards.
2. Contact your bank immediately so that the payment(s) and possibly the bank account can be blocked.
3. If you find that money has actually been stolen from your account, file a complaint with the local police.
4. Forward the suspicious message (e-mail or SMS) to the Belgian Cybersecurity Centre at verdacht@safeonweb.be to block the URL of the suspicious website to spare other victims.
5. If you paid by credit card, fill in a dispute form on mijnkaart.be to report an unauthorised payment transaction via your credit card.
6. Report the incident to us.