The District Court of Rotterdam has ruled in favor of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), affirming its decision to withdraw the phone number 0900-3663376, which was misused by Aktief Bouwen B.V. to impersonate the customer service of a well-known online retailer.

Consumers who called this number faced exorbitant charges without receiving any real assistance. The ACM continues to receive reports of similar fraudulent practices and urges consumers to remain vigilant against 'fake customer-service numbers.'

Fraudulent businesses often utilize paid Google ads to mislead consumers into believing they are contacting legitimate customer service. These ads can lead to high-cost calls with long wait times, ultimately resulting in no help for the caller. Such actions violate the Dutch Telecommunications Act and related regulations.

ACM has been proactive in withdrawing multiple numbers associated with these misleading practices and encourages consumers to report any incidents of phone number fraud. Manon Leijten, a board member of ACM, emphasizes the importance of consumer reports in combating these violations.

To avoid falling victim to such scams, ACM advises consumers to verify contact information directly from official business websites rather than relying on search engine results.