With many fake shops the order ends the same way: the payment methods on display fall away and only a bank transfer in advance is left. As a rule you do not get a submitted transfer back, but call your bank immediately all the same. Since 9 October 2025 banks in the euro area must offer instant payments, so the money reaches the recipient within seconds. On the same day verification of payee arrived, which compares name and IBAN before release.
Why fake shops insist on bank transfer
A payer can hardly get a bank transfer back. Under Section 675p BGB a payment order can no longer be revoked once the payer’s bank has received it. A later revocation requires that customer and bank have agreed on it. For direct debit, credit card and payment services there are procedures through which a payment can come back.
The BSI, the Verbraucherzentrale and the police describe the same sequence. The Verbraucherzentrale writes (quotations from German sources in this article are our translation): “Customers are often offered several payment methods up to the last order step.But for the actual order only advance payment, for instance by bank transfer, is then demanded.” The BSI calls this typical of fake shops, and the German police crime prevention service (ProPK) lists it as a sign.In its guide to getting money back (as of 3 August 2026), the Verbraucherzentrale also writes that fraudulent shops have long ceased to stand out automatically through extremely cheap offers or payments abroad.
The police crime prevention service advises: “Under no circumstances pay in advance (bank transfer) to unknown persons or online shops.” What the term covers is explained in the glossary under advance payment.
What is still possible after the transfer
As a rule, an executed transfer does not come back. The Verbraucherzentrale writes: “Usually not even a quick phone call helps, because many transfers are booked in real time.” Since 9 October 2025 payment service providers in the euro area must offer their customers the sending of instant payments.The Bundesbank describes them as transfers that are usually processed within ten seconds at most, around the clock and at weekends too. Like conventional transfers they are in principle not revocable, and the amount can as a rule not be retrieved.
Call your bank despite the short window. For instant payments ordered in error, the Bundesbank advises contacting your own payment service provider without delay, which can try to reclaim the amount. It adds that a reversal depends on the consent of the recipient. With a fake shop that is not to be expected. The steps are under Already transferred money and recalling a transfer.
What verification of payee shows for advance payment
Verification of payee shows whether the name entered fits the account. Since 9 October 2025, according to the German financial supervisor BaFin, credit institutions must carry it out for transfers. There are four results: the details match, they almost match and the bank tells you the name on record, they differ and the bank points out the risk, or the check was not possible. BaFin names the first three, the Verbraucherzentrale the fourth.
Enter as recipient the company name from the legal notice. If the result differs, the account may belong to someone else. Stop and ask the shop who holds the account. The Verbraucherzentrale (as of 1 September 2026) advises not to release after a warning: “If you send a transfer despite a warning, you bear the risk yourself.”BaFin writes that the payment service provider is not liable for the loss if it carried out the verification of payee and the payment goes to the wrong recipient.
A matching result only shows that name and IBAN fit together. The Bundesbank writes: “The check can only identify mismatches between IBAN and name.” If a shop names a private individual as account holder and you enter that name, the bank reports a match. Details are in the article on verification of payee and fake shops.
Payment methods with a way back
Four payment methods leave a way back open. Deadlines and conditions differ, and an overview is under payment methods.
- Purchase on invoice. You pay after delivery. The Verbraucherzentrale sums it up as: goods first, then the money. If the invoice runs through a payment service, its conditions apply, see Klarna.
- SEPA direct debit. Under Section 675x BGB you can demand a refund without giving reasons if you do so within eight weeks of the debit. If the direct debit was not authorised, this is possible for up to 13 months according to the Verbraucherzentrale. More under returning a direct debit.
- Credit card. A payment can be cancelled in the chargeback procedure through the card-issuing bank. The Verbraucherzentrale points out that a processing fee may apply. Get in touch early, the bank will tell you the deadline. More under credit card and chargeback.
- PayPal and other payment services. PayPal requires the report within 180 days of the payment date. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, buyer protection is excluded if you use the option “send money to friends and family”. More under PayPal buyer protection.
The buyer protection of payment services has gaps. The Verbraucherzentrale (as of 13 August 2026) points out that a proof of dispatch from the retailer is often enough for the service. Your rights under the sales contract continue alongside.“The trader bears the risk of transport and loss of the goods,” writes the Verbraucherzentrale. The statutory basis is Section 475 (2) BGB. With a fake shop these rights help little if the operator cannot be reached. What buyer protection covers is explained in the glossary.
What our shop check reads about payment methods
The shop check reads a shop’s payment information without placing an order. In detail:
- Payment methods named. It reads which payment methods the shop names and records when it insists on advance payment.
- Account holder. If the shop names bank details, it compares the account holder with the operator in the legal notice and the country of the IBAN with the seat of the shop.
- Reported IBAN. It matches the IBAN against accounts known to us from fraud reports. You can run the same match yourself in the IBAN check.
Already transferred: five steps
- Inform your bank immediately.
Call, describe the suspicion and ask for the amount to be reclaimed. Note the date, the time and the name of the person you spoke to.
- Secure the evidence.
Screenshots of the shop, the offer, the legal notice and the payment instructions, plus order confirmation, emails and bank statement. The Verbraucherzentrale advises collecting all records of the order. How to do this is explained under Securing evidence.
- File a police report.
You can do this at the online police station of your German federal state, listed under Reporting offices. What belongs in the report is described in the article Reporting a fake shop.
- Report the shop.
Send us the address via Report a shop, and we will check it for the list. The IBAN from the payment instructions helps with that.
- Do not let yourself be put off.
The Verbraucherzentrale describes retailers feigning delivery problems and stalling those affected so that they take no further steps. Further promises only postpone the moment you act. Further help is under If you are affected.
Advance payment also occurs with retailers that deliver
Some retailers that deliver offer only advance payment. The Verbraucherzentrale nevertheless advises: “Without a customer-friendly payment method you had better not order anything.”If further features come on top, such as a young domain, a legal notice that leads to a different company or a seal without a certificate, cancel the order.The features in context are described in the article Checking an online shop, and the page Spotting a fake shop shows examples. Which scams are currently circulating is covered in the overview Current scams.
