# Help translating German mail from UBS bank?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-german-mail-from-ubs-bank/679511>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 23, 2014, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-german-mail-from-ubs-bank/679511 "2014-01-23T07:16:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2014, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-german-mail-from-ubs-bank/679511/1 "2014-01-23T07:16:45Z")

</div>

I got two e-mails seemingly from UBS Bank that I’m sure shouldn’t have come to me. I have no account with them. One the one hand, they seem to be legitimate but simply mis-directed (they came from [ubs.com](http://ubs.com) and are full of links that really point to [ubs.com](http://ubs.com), not to some other nefarious place). On the other hand, they seem to report that my e-mail address has been updated in their records, but are NOT addressed to me (or anyone else) by actual name, nor do they contain the last 4 digits of an account number, or any other identifying information. That, of course, smells phishy.

So I forwarded both of them to an address I found at [ubs.com](http://ubs.com) for forwarding fraudulent e-mails. Within a few hours, I got an e-mail all in German. (It looks like a form letter, possibly auto-generated.) Can someone translate it, or at least some salient part of it, or give a summary? Danke!

(I’m thinking that the original e-mails _might_ have been legitimate but mis-directed messages for a real customer whose last name is the same as mine and whose e-mail is very similar to mine.)

> [@UBS Customer Service](#):
>
> Sehr geehrter Herr J\*\*\*\*\*\*,
> 
> Wir danken für Ihr Schreiben, in dem Sie uns über ein möglicherweise missbräuchliches E-Mail bezüglich UBS informieren.
> 
> Es scheint sich um sogenanntes «Phishing» zu handeln. Dieses Wort, entstanden aus «Password fishing», bezeichnet den Trick, mit Hilfe von gefälschten Webseiten oder E-Mails an vertrauliche Kundendaten zu gelangen. Weitere Information zum Thema Phishing finden Sie auf unserer Homepage unter [http://www.ubs.com/1/g/index/phishing.html](http://www.ubs.com/1/g/index/phishing.html).
> 
> Wir empfehlen Ihnen solche E-Mails nicht zu beantworten, keine Anhänge zu öffnen, den Link innerhalb des E-Mails nicht anzuklicken sondern die E-Mail ungelesen zu löschen. Geben Sie niemals persönliche Daten wie zum Beispiel Ihren PIN-Code oder Passwörter bekannt, gleichgültig, an wen oder auf welche Art (per Telefon oder E-Mail) Sie kontaktiert werden. Falls Sie den Link bereits angeklickt oder persönliche Daten bekannt gegeben haben, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte umgehend per Telefon.
> 
> Für weitere Fragen stehen wir Ihnen selbstverständlich gerne zur Verfügung.
> 
> Freundliche Grüsse
> 
> UBS AG
> 
> Celine Wiederkehr  
> Customer Service Center  
> UBS e-banking Support: +41-848 848 062 (7x24h)  
> UBS Card Center Betrugsprävention: +41-44 828 32 22 (7x24h)  
> Gestützt auf den bisherigen E-Mail Verkehr mit Ihnen bzw. die mit Ihnen getroffene Absprache erachtet sich UBS als ermächtigt, Sie via ungesicherter E-Mail kontaktieren zu dürfen.  
> Warnung:  
> (a) E-Mails bergen ERHEBLICHE RISIKEN in sich, z.B. mangelnde Vertraulichkeit, Manipulation von Inhalt und Absender, Fehlleitung, Viren etc. UBS lehnt jegliche Verantwortung für Schäden hieraus ab. UBS empfiehlt deshalb auch, KEINE SENSITIVEN INFORMATIONEN zu senden, bei Antwort E-Mails den empfangenen Text nicht mitzusenden und die E-Mail Adresse jeweils manuell neu zu erfassen.  
> (b) UBS akzeptiert über E-Mail grundsätzlich KEINE AUFTRÄGE, Widerrufe von Aufträgen oder Ermächtigungen, Sperren von Kreditkarten etc. Gehen trotzdem solche E-Mails ein, ist UBS nicht verpflichtet, diese ausdrücklich zurück zu weisen.  
> Sollten Sie die vorliegende E-Mail irrtümlich erhalten haben oder wünschen Sie künftig keine Kontakte mehr per E-Mail, sind Sie gebeten, UBS hierüber sofort zu informieren. Das irrtümlich erhaltene E-Mail (mit allen Anhängen) ist unwiderruflich zu löschen und der Inhalt weder an weitere Personen weiterzuleiten noch bekannt zu geben.  
> E-mails can involve SUBSTANTIAL RISKS, e.g. lack of confidentiality, potential manipulation of contents and/or sender’s address, incorrect recipient (misdirection), viruses etc. Based on previous e-mail correspondence with you and/or an agreement reached with you, UBS considers itself authorized to contact you via e-mail. UBS assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from the use of e-mails.  
> UBS reserves the right to retain all messages. Messages are protected and accessed only in legally justified cases.  
> Privacy statements: [http://www.ubs.com/global/en/legalinfo2/privacy.html](http://www.ubs.com/global/en/legalinfo2/privacy.html)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-german-mail-from-ubs-bank/679511/2 "2014-01-23T08:07:33Z")

</div>

In a nutshell, it is a form letter thanking you for letting them know and explaining you probably got an email “phishing” for your bank pin number and ID and other info.

They provided a link that goes into more detail on this type of scam and warn you not to give your pin number or other bank information to anyone else. Also not to respond to such emails or ever think of opening an attached file, etc. etc.

Most certainly is is a form letter, but simply acknowledging receipt of your email and standard warnings about keeping your information private.

Hope that helps.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-german-mail-from-ubs-bank/679511/3 "2014-01-23T16:43:54Z")

</div>

Thank you, **DMark** for that synopsis. This confirms what I suspected it is.

The irony is, I three-quarters suspect the letters weren’t phishing, but instead were legitimate notices to another same-named customer whose e-mail address is similar to mine. On the one hand, all the links throughout the notices were bona-fide links to UBS; on the other hand, the notices contained NO hint of the customer’s identification (like, for example, a name or last four digits of account number), which is a common trait of phishings.

If I had to bet, I’d guess that the notices are actually legit. This leads one to wonder: Will any live human at UBS actually take a look, and make the same conclusion, and attempt to contact the REAL Herr J\*\*\*\*\*\* to get his correct e-mail?

Or will I continue, for the rest of eternity, to receive on-line documents from UBS that are meant for a different person?