If you suspect that you have been defrauded, act as quickly and methodically as possible. Reporting the matter to suchen.expert, contacting your bank and filing a police report serve different purposes and may all be necessary at the same time.
Stop further payments and any other steps in the transaction
Do not make any further payments or send or hand over any further items whilst the matter remains unresolved. Do not open any additional links or files sent to you by the other person, and do not disclose any further personal details or login credentials.
Break off direct contact if you are pressured, threatened or asked to make further payments. Do not attempt to seek out the other person on your own or retrieve items in person. Where it is safe to do so, save the existing message history and other relevant evidence beforehand.
If you have already sent an item, you can ask the delivery company through its official contact channels whether it is still possible to change or halt the delivery. Whether this is possible depends on the delivery status and the provider’s terms and conditions.
Contact your bank or payment service provider immediately
Inform your bank, credit card company or the payment service provider you used about the suspected fraud. Only use the official contact details from the app, the website, your card or your contract documents – do not use the contact details or links sent to you by the other person.
Specify the transaction in question and ask what protection, blocking, recall or dispute options are available for the payment method used. Whether a payment can be halted, recalled or refunded depends on the payment method, the processing status and the relevant legal and contractual requirements. A refund cannot be guaranteed.
If you have disclosed bank, card or online banking details, state this explicitly. Ask whether cards, access credentials or payment functions should be blocked and replaced, and check your transaction history for any unrecognised entries.
Secure your accounts and your email address
If you have entered, shared or used a password on a suspicious website, change it via the official website or app of the relevant service. Use a new, unique password. If you have used the same password for other accounts, change it there as well.
Secure your email address first, as it is often used to recover other accounts. Check recovery email addresses, registered phone numbers, active sessions and any unknown forwarding rules. Enable two-factor authentication where available.
Never disclose passwords, PINs, TANs, confirmation or recovery codes. This applies even if someone claims to be acting on behalf of suchen.expert, a bank, a payment service provider, a delivery service or a public authority.
If you suspect that your device has been tampered with or infected with malware, use another trusted device wherever possible to make important changes and have the affected device checked by a specialist.
Preserve evidence in its original form
Save the advert, the advert ID, its link and title, the profile name and the complete relevant message history. Also save emails, telephone numbers, payment details, recipient accounts, transaction numbers, invoices, dispatch receipts, tracking numbers and other documents relating to the matter.
If necessary, take screenshots or create PDF copies, but also retain the original messages and files. Do not edit, add to or alter any evidence. Keep a brief chronological record noting when contact began, what was agreed, when payments or deliveries took place, and when you noticed any discrepancies.
Do not delete the message history, the account in question or any relevant files before the necessary information has been backed up. Do not publish the documents on social media, in adverts or reviews, as they contain personal data and may compromise subsequent investigations.
Report the advert and the user in question to suchen.expert
If the advert is still accessible, use the ‘Report a problem’ function provided there. Describe the suspected fraud objectively and state the key events and identifying features. Do not present assumptions as proven facts.
You can find instructions in the article How can I report a problem with a listing?
If the advert is no longer available or you require further assistance, please use the contact form. Where possible, please provide the advert ID, the previous link or title, the profile name in question and a brief timeline of events. Only submit relevant evidence and never disclose passwords, PINs, TANs or confirmation codes.
File a police report if you suspect a criminal offence
If you suspect fraud, you can contact the police directly. You do not need to report the matter to suchen.expert beforehand. Bring or send the documents you have secured and describe the incident factually and in chronological order.
For non-urgent cases, depending on the federal state and the nature of the matter, you can use the German state police forces’ online reporting service. The online reporting service is not suitable for emergencies. In complex cases, or if an online report option is not available for the case in question, contact a police station directly.
In the event of immediate danger, threats of violence or if immediate police intervention is required, dial the emergency number 110 in Germany. In such a situation, do not wait for a response from the platform.
Further information can be found in the article When and how can I take legal action in the event of a conflict on suchen.expert?
How non-public user data is handled
suchen.expert does not disclose another user’s non-public personal data to a party to the dispute solely upon request. Even a request from a solicitor does not automatically create a right to disclosure.
Data may be transferred to public authorities, courts or other authorised recipients if there is a legal obligation or another permissible legal basis for doing so. Competent authorities may contact the operator through official channels as part of proceedings. What data is available and may be transferred is assessed on the basis of the specific request and the applicable legal requirements.
There is no blanket assurance that ‘all available data’ is stored or will be disclosed. Data may be subject to statutory deletion periods, retention obligations, the rights of other individuals and technical limitations. Further information can be found in the Privacy Policy.
What suchen.expert can and cannot do
suchen.expert can review a report on the basis of the available information, the legal requirements and the General Terms of Service. In the event of confirmed breaches, adverts or other content may be restricted or removed, and accounts may be restricted or suspended. In individual cases, additional details or evidence may be requested.
A report does not automatically lead to a specific moderation action. The platform does not conduct criminal investigations and does not rule on private claims relating to payment, ownership, performance or damages.
suchen.expert is generally not a party to transactions concluded between users and does not act as a bank or payment service provider. The platform is therefore unable to reverse a payment independently, guarantee a refund or enforce any contractual claims against the other user.
If you have submitted ID, card or other sensitive data
If you have submitted a copy or details of an identity card, passport, driving licence or any other official document, contact the issuing authority. Explain which details have been disclosed and ask what protective measures are recommended in this specific case. Whether a document should be blocked or replaced must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
If you have disclosed bank or card details, contact the issuing bank or card company immediately. If mobile phone or SIM card details have been disclosed, contact your mobile phone provider. You should then check your accounts and contract details for any unrecognised changes or activity.
In these cases too, retain the relevant messages and evidence, and mention the possible disclosure of sensitive data when filing a police report and reporting the incident to suchen.expert.
