Currently, lots of consumers contact us with regards to letters they receive from a company called "Corbu Trading Inkasso AG". Therein, the words "last out-of-court payment reminder" are marked in red.
The first will be the last?
Even though the letter claims to be the last reminder, consumers never heard of the company nor their "debt". Allegedly, the consumers concluded a contract about a lottery subscription ("Top 100 Gewinnspiele / Eurowin 6-49") over the phone. The total amount requested in the letter, including the costs for the subscription as well as fees for the delayed payment, is 192.49 Euro.
This debt should be paid within the following seven days. Otherwise, the debt collection agency threatens to execute. The second page of the letter is a form to cancel the subscription - and by that, confirming that all debts have been paid.
The consumers are asked to transfer the money to the Corbu Trading Inkasso AG and to send the cancellation form to the lottery company.
The given bank account is Belgian, while the debt collection agency is - allegedly - situated in Vienna. Our research showed that German consumers received letters with an address in Berlin. In both cases, the address is incomplete which makes it impossible to actually find the company. But there's more: The phone number of the company is British!
Don't pay!
The letter is highly unprofessional. We strongly advise against paying any money!
How do you know that it is not a real reminder?
- First and foremost: You don't have to pay for a subscription that you never concluded. There is no contract with the dubious lottery company.
- The company, on whose behalf the debt collection agency claims to act, is never actually mentioned with a full company name.
- A last reminder, without any previous letters? That's more than suspicious.
- The letter is full of spelling errors.
- On the second page, the logo of UPC is displayed - which has nothing whatsoever to do with the matter and hints at a bad copy of some cancellation form.
- The debt collection agency is situated in Berlin or Vienna - but the bank account is Belgian.
What can you do, if you received a reminder from Corbu Trading Inkasso AG?
- To be on the safe side, you can protest against the payment request once. Send a registered letter or an e-mail with reading confirmation to the debt collection agency, stating that you never ordered any subscription and therefore will not pay anything.
- Ignore any following letters.
- Don't let them intimidate you: They can't execute anything without court proceedings with you being present. Therefore, they have no legal power over you.
