How to recognise fraudulent online shops before ordering, how to check the imprint, trust seals and payment methods, and what can still be salvaged after paying.
The barbecue at half price, the brand-name sneakers at 70 % off, the sold-out console bundle "available immediately": fake shops lure you with exactly the offers many people are currently looking for. These days the sites look deceptively professional, often with copied product images, invented reviews and stolen identities of real companies. Anyone who pays in advance usually never sees their money again. A few minutes of checking before ordering can dramatically reduce the risk.
Before every order in an unfamiliar shop, check five things: Is there a complete imprint (Impressum) with an address at which the operator can be served (§ 5 DDG, German Digital Services Act)? Is the price realistic or clearly too good to be true? Which payment methods are actually available, or is only advance payment by bank transfer left at the end? Are the trust seals genuine, meaning clickable and registered with the seal provider? And what does the Verbraucherzentrale's free Fakeshop-Finder say about the shop's address? If any one of these points fails, do not order. If you have already paid, contact your bank immediately and file a criminal complaint.
Every commercial online shop that targets customers in Germany must have an imprint (Impressum): the provider's name, an address at which they can be served (a P.O. box is not enough), an email address, and for corporations the legal form, authorised representatives and commercial register number as well as, as a rule, the VAT identification number (§ 5 DDG, formerly § 5 TMG). If the imprint is missing entirely, the case is clear. More common is the subtler variant: the imprint exists but is copied or invented.
Here is how to check it: search for the stated company in the Handelsregister (commercial register, viewable free of charge at handelsregister.de) and enter the address into a map search. Is there a residential house instead of a business? Does the company exist but, according to its own website, run a completely different shop? Both are strong warning signs. Also check the domain: fake shops like to use names with appended additions such as "-outlet", "-sale" or unusual endings, and the domain is often only a few weeks old.
Compare the price using a price comparison engine. If an unfamiliar shop is 30, 50 or 70 % below all established providers, especially for sought-after or sold-out goods, that is not a bargain but the bait. Reputable retailers cannot be permanently and dramatically cheaper than the whole market. It should also make you suspicious if everything is "in stock" that is out of stock everywhere else.
The most important technical warning sign: many fake shops display a broad range of payment methods on the home page (PayPal, credit card, invoice), but in the final ordering step only advance payment by bank transfer is suddenly possible, preferably into a foreign account with an unfamiliar IBAN or to an account holder that does not match the shop. In that case, abort. In unfamiliar shops, generally choose payment methods with buyer protection or purchase on invoice, never advance payment, instant bank transfer to unknown parties, or even gift cards and cryptocurrency.
Fake shops adorn themselves with copied seals. The test is simple: a genuine Trusted Shops seal (and similar seals such as EHI) is clickable and leads to a validity certificate on the seal provider's website that names exactly this shop. A seal that is merely an image proves nothing. Reviews directly in the shop are no proof either; they can be freely invented. Instead, search externally for the shop's name together with terms such as "Erfahrungen" (experiences) or "Betrug" (fraud).
The Verbraucherzentrale runs a free checking tool at verbraucherzentrale.de/fakeshop-finder: paste in the URL, and the tool compares the address against known fake-shop lists and checks technical features of the website. A green result is no guarantee, but a red result is a clear stop signal. In Austria, the Watchlist Internet maintains a continuously updated list of fraudulent shops; in Switzerland, cybercrimepolice.ch of the Zurich cantonal police provides information.
Speed matters, especially with bank transfers:
Also change your password immediately if you set up a customer account at the fake shop with a password that you also use elsewhere.
I ordered but have not paid yet. Do I have to pay? Do not pay. With a fraudulent shop there is no claim worthy of protection, and reminders from fake shops are part of the scam.
The goods arrived but are junk or a counterfeit. What now? Then the right of withdrawal (for retailers based in the EU) and the warranty apply. For counterfeits, document the condition and involve your bank and, if necessary, the police.
Will I get my money back after a bank transfer? Realistically only if the bank can still stop the payment or the recipient account is frozen. That is exactly why the rule is: with unfamiliar shops, never pay in advance.
We are an independent citizens' initiative (Bürgerinitiative) and provide general information. This text is not legal advice for an individual case. In the event of a dispute or uncertainty, contact your Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre) or a lawyer.