The VUGD stated that dispatchers of the rescue service can call a resident only if the person has called and reported the event themselves, as well as to clarify information or continue an interrupted conversation. In addition, the resident in such a situation will receive a call from a landline eight-digit number instead of a three-digit number.
"We would like to emphasize that the call center dispatchers of the unified emergency call number 112 are never the first to call. Our task is to receive calls from residents, send firefighters to the scene or forward the call to the appropriate emergency service... We do not need to identify the caller and therefore we do not ask him to do so by providing us with sensitive data, such as a personal ID code," said Hermanis Plisko, head of the Call Processing and Resource Management Department of the VUGD.
Further, the VUGD invites people to immediately inform their mobile operator if they receive a suspicious call supposedly from the phone number 112, and if residents have been victims of fraudulent activities, to file a complaint with the State Police.
"I invite residents to critically evaluate the information that the caller is asking for and to consider whether it is necessary at all in the given situation. Remember that the single telephone number 112 accepts calls from residents and does not call them to inform them about accidents," noted Plisko.
