Paid a fake shop by bank transfer
With a bank transfer, how quickly you act matters more than with any other payment method. Call your bank first. This page shows what is still possible, what to say on the phone, what verification of payee means and why the money often does not come back anyway.
Your next step
Call your bank now.
Call todayAsk for a recall due to fraud and for the bank to warn the recipient’s bank. Then confirm the call in writing.
Subject Request to recall a transfer due to fraud
What is still possible
What matters is whether your order has already reached your bank. If in doubt, only the bank knows. Ask by phone instead of checking your banking app.
Order not yet received by the bank, or scheduled transfer
Revocation possibleUntil the order reaches your bank, you can revoke it. For a scheduled transfer, this is possible until the end of the business day before the agreed date (§ 675p (3) BGB). Delete the order in your banking app or call.
Order received or executed
Only a recall via the recipient’s bankUnder § 675p (1) BGB the order is now irrevocable. Your bank can request a recall from the recipient’s bank, which must answer within 15 banking days. The money only comes back if the recipient agrees and it is still in the account.
Instant transfer
With the recipient in secondsAn instant transfer is executed immediately and can no longer be stopped. The same recall via the recipient’s bank remains, with the same limits. Call your bank immediately anyway.
- 13 monthsrequest a recall
A transfer can only be stopped until the order reaches your bank. After that, a recall remains. The recipient’s bank answers within 15 banking days; money only comes back with the recipient’s consent.
Have this ready before you call
On the phone the bank can tell you straight away what is still possible. Ask for a recall of the transfer due to fraud and for the bank to inform the recipient’s bank of the suspicion.
- Date and time of the transfer
- Amount and reference
- Recipient name and IBAN as you entered them
- What the verification of payee showed before you authorised
- Shop address and order number
- Police reference number, once you have it
On [date] at [time] I transferred [amount] euros to IBAN [recipient IBAN], reference [reference]. The recipient is a fraudulent online shop. Has the order already been executed? If so, please request a recall from the recipient’s bank on grounds of fraud and inform the recipient’s bank of the suspicion.
Replace the square brackets. The email template for the confirmation is above and on the bank transfer page.
What did the verification of payee show you?
Since 9 October 2025, banks in the euro area compare the name you enter with the holder of the IBAN before every transfer. You see the result before authorising. For your case it matters which one it was.
- Name you entered
- [name from the shop]
- Recipient IBAN
- DE00 0000 0000 0000 0000 00
- Account holder according to the recipient bank
- [name of the account holder]
The bank compares both names and reports one of the four results. Placeholders, not real data.
- Match
Name and IBAN match. That only says the account belongs to the name you entered, not that the shop is legitimate.
- Close match
The bank shows you the account holder’s actual name. If it differs from the shop, that is a warning sign.
- No match
The bank warns you that the money may go to someone else. If you authorise anyway and the money reaches the wrong recipient, it is not liable under the regulation.
- No check offered
Banks in the euro area have had to offer the check free of charge since 9 October 2025. If your bank did not and the payment was therefore executed incorrectly, it must refund you.
Why the money often does not come back
It is not your fault, and usually not your bank’s either.
- Accounts of intermediariesFake shops often have payments made to accounts of recruited or deceived third parties. From there the money is usually forwarded or withdrawn quickly.
- The recall needs consentThe SEPA rulebook obliges the recipient’s bank to answer, not to repay. Without the recipient’s consent, the money stays where it is.
- Account details changeThe IBAN in the shop is often swapped after a short time or already blocked by the time your bank reacts.
File a police report
The report is directed against the holder of the recipient account. Give the IBAN from your bank statement. Choose your state. If the crime scene is unknown, that is where you live.
Choose your state. With a fake shop the place of the offence is usually unknown; then your place of residence counts.
Do you live outside Germany?
- You live in AustriaPolice report, Watchlist Internet, advice.
- You live in SwitzerlandReport to the cantonal police, notification to the Federal Office for Cybersecurity.
- The shop is in another EU countryThe European Consumer Centre Germany helps free of charge with disputes with traders in other EU countries, Iceland and Norway.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel a transfer myself?
Only as long as the order has not reached your bank, or for a scheduled transfer until the end of the business day before the execution date. After that it is irrevocable under § 675p BGB. Delete the order in your banking app or call your bank. An instant transfer is executed immediately and can no longer be stopped.
How long does the recipient’s bank have?
Under the SEPA Credit Transfer rulebook it must answer a recall within 15 banking days. If the recipient does not respond in that time, it gives a negative answer. The rulebook obliges the recipient’s bank to answer. It creates no duty to refund: the money only comes back if the recipient agrees and it is still in the account.
Is my bank liable because it transferred to fraudsters?
Usually not. A transfer you authorised counts as correctly executed. An exception applies if the bank did not offer the required verification of payee and the payment was therefore executed incorrectly.
Is a police report worth it even though the money is probably gone?
Yes. It enables investigations against the account holder, and your bank can use the reference number for the recall. Have the date and time, the amount, the payment reference, the recipient’s name and IBAN and the shop’s address ready, so that the report is complete.
Sources · checked on 2 October 2026
This page is general guidance. Whether a recall succeeds depends on the case, the timing and the recipient. For a binding assessment, contact your bank, a consumer advice centre or a lawyer.