Warning about fraudulent phishing emails
Have you received a suspicious email that appears to be from VAUDE? This could be a so-called phishing email. The term phishing refers to attempts to impersonate a trustworthy communication partner in an electronic communication via fake websites, emails or text messages.
Such an email is often difficult to recognise because the fraudulent sender makes it look as if it was sent by us, VAUDE Sport GmbH & Co. KG, has sent it.
These emails convey a sense of urgency and urge you to take immediate action. You may be threatened with consequences, for example that domains, user accounts, accounts or other services will be blocked or deleted if you do not act quickly. The emails may also ask for your account details or ask you to log in via their malicious link.
Furthermore, such a fraudulent email may contain a tempting cooperation offer with often exaggerated benefits (keyword: engagement as an influencer on Instagram).
Look out for the following warning signs to recognise a suspicious email:
Sender's email address
Check the sender's email address instead of relying on the name displayed. The sender's address often indicates that it is a fraudulent email. It often contains (many) numbers, slight spelling mistakes and does not end in @vaude.com.
Do not trust any e-mail that does not end in @vaude.com! Only this domain (vaude) including the domain extension (.com) after the @ is trustworthy!
VAUDE never uses other e-mail formats such as Gmail! VAUDE will never write to you via Telegram!
Account data
Be extremely careful when confidential information such as passwords, credit card numbers or account details are requested. If you receive an email asking you to provide such information, we strongly recommend that you delete it immediately or move it to your spam folder.
Important: VAUDE will never ask you for your password or access data. If we need your user data for troubleshooting purposes, this will only be done after prior consultation with you.
Suspicious links
Avoid clicking on links in suspicious emails at all costs! Phishers often insert links that lead to fake login pages. Point your mouse at a link (without clicking) to see the real destination before you click on it. Also avoid downloading attachments from unknown sources as they may contain malware.
Important: If you have clicked on a link or replied to a suspicious email with personal data, we strongly recommend changing your email account password, running a virus scan on your device and contacting your financial institution and cancelling your credit card.
Content, spelling, grammar and formatting
Phishing emails often contain spelling and grammatical errors or look like a poor translation from another language. The texts are also often written in a pompous manner and read in a very arbitrary and generalised way. The format of a phishing email is also often a poor copy of what a company uses: Details are often missing from the company logo, different colours are used or a professional email signature is missing altogether.
General greetings
Phishing emails often use generic greetings such as "Dear customer" or similar instead of addressing you by name, as the scammers may not have your specific details.
Contact our customer service
If you receive a suspicious email, please report it to our customer service team using our contact form. We will endeavour to take action against these fraudulent emails. VAUDE is working closely with the relevant authorities to combat these fraudulent activities. Nevertheless, it is inevitable that new phishing emails will be sent again and again. It is therefore all the more important that you as a consumer are vigilant and follow the instructions above to protect yourself from fraudulent emails.