Fake payment instruction: Private individual, Germany
A buyer’s daughter asked a car dealership by email for its bank details; unknown persons intercepted the exchange and sent a PDF with a changed IBAN.
- Incident · date unknown · Lower Saxony (Oldenburg area), Germany
- Evidence: confirmed by an authority
- Fake payment instruction
- Fraud
As of
What happened
The buyer transferred just under 17'000 euros to the fraudsters. The Regional Court and the OLG Oldenburg ruled with final effect that he has to pay the purchase price again because no security deficiency could be proven against the car dealership.
- Affected
- Private individual (anonymous)
- Industry
- Private individual
- Loss
- just under EUR 17'000
- Business interruption
- unknown
- Ransom demanded / paid
- unknown / unknown
- Data affected
- unknown
- Bankruptcy
- no
- Entry point
- Intercepted email exchange; PDF with a changed IBAN
What would cyber insurance have paid?
That depends on the terms. Whether those affected were insured: unknown.
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Paid, but nothing or the wrong thing delivered, fake shop
Mostly covered 24 of 29 private products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Lawyer and proceedings in an online dispute
Mostly covered 22 of 29 private products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
Overview based on public policy terms, as of 06.11.2026. Only your policy and its general terms and conditions (GTC) are binding. No confirmation of cover.
What we can learn
Confirm bank details for large payments by telephone with the seller; otherwise, whoever asks by email bears the risk.
Sources
- Fake-Rechnungen: Käufer muss doppelt zahlen (opens in a new window) APOTHEKE ADHOC · 2026-08-28
«Der Zahlungsanspruch des Autohauses aus dem Kaufvertrag sei durch die Zahlung an die Unbekannten nicht erfüllt worden.»