First check what the transaction relates to
Open your bank, card or PayPal app yourself, or manually enter the provider's known address in your browser. Do not use a link from an email, SMS, payment request or message.
Compare the amount, date, transaction description, merchant name and transaction number with your records and agreements. Also check:
- whether it is a subscription or automatic payment,
- whether a joint account holder or authorised cardholder made the payment,
- whether the merchant appears under a different company name on the account statement,
- whether it is a deposit, partial payment, currency conversion or subsequent adjustment,
- whether the same transaction is displayed once by the payment service and also as a debit from the linked bank account,
- whether only an invoice or payment request has been received and no money has yet been debited.
Do not pay an unknown payment request. Do not call a telephone number given in it or open an attached payment link.
Distinguish between unknown and self-initiated payments
Describe exactly what happened to the bank or payment service. The distinction is important for handling the matter:
- An unauthorised payment is one that you neither initiated nor approved yourself.
- An authorised fraudulent payment is one that you confirmed yourself but were deceived about the recipient, purpose, goods or service.
- An erroneous payment may involve, for example, an incorrect amount, a duplicate debit or a purchase that was not performed in accordance with the contract.
- A pending or reserved payment has not necessarily been finally posted.
A transfer that you confirmed yourself under deception should not be falsely reported as a completely unknown transaction. Instead, describe what actually happened, including any pressure, false information or manipulated payment page.
The rights, recall options and time limits available depend, among other things, on the payment method, authorisation, contractual terms and circumstances of the individual case.
Immediate action
If the transaction is not plausible or fraud is suspected:
1. Do not send any more money or disclose additional data or confirmation codes.
2. Contact the bank, card issuer or payment service immediately through the official app, a website that you opened yourself or a telephone number that you already know.
3. Ask whether the payment can still be stopped, declined, recalled or disputed.
4. Have compromised cards, payment access or online banking blocked if the provider recommends it or sign-in details have been disclosed.
5. Preserve messages, payment records and transaction data.
6. Protect the affected accounts and associated email account.
7. Inform suchen.expert if the incident relates to a listing, profile or message on the platform.
8. Where appropriate, report fraud, identity misuse or other suspected criminal activity to the police.
Act quickly, because some options are available only before final execution or within certain time limits. However, successfully blocking or recovering a payment or obtaining a refund cannot be guaranteed.
Pending or reserved transactions
A pending card or PayPal payment may be a temporary authorisation. Such reservations may occur, for example, for deposits or payments whose final amount is determined only later. They may already reduce the available amount even though no final debit has occurred.
A pending transaction may disappear again or be replaced by a final transaction. This does not mean that every unknown pending transaction is harmless. If you do not recognise the merchant, amount or reason, contact the card issuer or payment service immediately. It can explain whether the transaction can already be disputed or whether you must first wait for the final posting.
Do not cancel an associated order or pay an alleged release fee before independently checking the transaction.
For a suspicious PayPal transaction
Sign in directly through the official PayPal app or PayPal website that you opened yourself. Under Activity, check:
- the recipient and amount,
- the transaction status,
- the payment source used,
- automatic payments and payment agreements,
- unknown invoices or payment requests,
- changes to the email address, telephone number, cards or bank accounts.
An invoice or payment request alone does not mean that a payment has been made. Do not pay it if you cannot identify it.
You can report a payment that you did not make or approve as unauthorised activity through PayPal's dispute-resolution process. PayPal describes the current procedure in How do I report an unauthorized transaction or account activity?
If you made the payment yourself but did not receive the goods or service, or they differ significantly from the description, select the dispute reason that actually applies. Observe the deadlines displayed in the PayPal account and answer questions within the time stated there.
PayPal Buyer Protection does not apply to every payment method, item or situation. The applicable requirements can be found in PayPal's Buyer Protection terms on its official website.
If the debit on your bank or card account states PayPal but does not appear in your PayPal activity, contact both PayPal and your bank or card issuer. The payment may have been made through a different email address, an automatic payment or a card payment not associated with the account that you are currently checking.
Do not report the same incident to several parties using contradictory information. Tell the bank and PayPal if another dispute or chargeback process is already under way, and follow the instructions of the responsible provider.
For a suspicious card payment
Check whether the card is still in your possession and whether the card number, security details or a confirmation code have been disclosed. Contact the card issuer immediately if:
- the payment did not come from you or an authorised person,
- card details were entered on a suspicious website,
- your card was lost or stolen,
- an unknown digital card or wallet link may exist,
- further debits are expected.
Use a blocking function in the official banking app if it is provided, and also contact the card-issuing institution.
In Germany, girocards and cards from participating issuers can be blocked through the 116 116 card blocking hotline. Check whether your card provider participates. Depending on the provider, digital cards or wallets may need to be handled separately.
Ask the card issuer about the designated dispute or chargeback process and the applicable time limits. Whether a chargeback is possible depends, among other things, on the card type, authorisation, facts of the case and the provider's rules.
For a SEPA direct debit
On the account statement, check in particular the payee, creditor identification number, mandate reference, amount and debit date. Establish whether a valid mandate or ongoing contract exists.
For a SEPA Core Direct Debit with a valid mandate, a refund may be requested without giving reasons within eight weeks after the debit. If there is no mandate, an unauthorised direct debit can generally be returned within 13 months after the account was debited. These periods are explained in Deutsche Bundesbank's information on SEPA Direct Debits.
Nevertheless, contact your bank immediately and do not wait until the end of a time limit. Also ask how further debits can be prevented and a mandate effectively revoked.
Returning a direct debit does not automatically remove an actual contractual obligation to pay. If the claim was justified, payment claims or costs may still arise. Different rules apply to SEPA Business-to-Business Direct Debits; for a business account, ask your bank for advice about the specific process.
For a bank transfer
If a bank transfer is merely scheduled or has not yet been executed, immediately check in online banking whether it can be cancelled. Contact the bank as well.
A bank transfer that has already reached the bank or been executed usually cannot be reversed unilaterally. Immediately ask the bank to recall the transfer and contact the recipient bank. Whether the money can still be secured or returned depends on the processing stage and circumstances.
For an instant bank transfer, the available time is particularly short. Do not pay an additional recovery fee to the supposed recipient or alleged helpers.
A matching Verification of Payee result shows only that the name and recipient account match under the process used; it does not prove that the underlying transaction is legitimate. BaFin explains this in Verification of payee.
If you confirmed the transfer yourself because you were deceived, put under pressure or misled by a false identity, describe this fully to the bank. A refund does not automatically follow.
Secure accounts and sign-in details
If sign-in details, card information or confirmation codes may be affected, take action from a trusted device:
- change the password for the affected payment or bank account,
- secure the associated email account,
- replace reused passwords at other services,
- check devices, sessions, recovery details and connected applications, if the corresponding functions are provided,
- remove unknown payment sources or recipients only after preserving evidence,
- enable additional sign-in security if the provider supports it.
Changing a password does not automatically end every existing session with every provider. Ask the provider how unknown access can be ended.
If your suchen.expert account may also be affected, follow the steps in What should I do if I suspect unauthorised access to my account?
Preserve evidence and transaction data
Keep the information in its original form. This may include:
- the complete transaction description,
- the transaction and value dates,
- the amount and currency,
- the transaction, authorisation or reference number,
- the recipient, IBAN or merchant name,
- for direct debits, the creditor ID and mandate reference,
- the PayPal transaction ID and status,
- the listing ID and profile and listing links,
- the message history and written agreements,
- invoices and order and shipping information,
- screenshots of suspicious pages or messages,
- the time and method of payment confirmation.
Preserve the original messages, but do not reopen suspicious links or attachments. When sharing information, redact account, card and personal data that is not needed. Do not publish complete payment records or other parties' personal data.
Also record when and through which official channel you contacted the bank, payment service or card issuer and which reference number you were given, if one was assigned.
Inform suchen.expert
If the payment relates to a listing, profile or message history on suchen.expert, report the matter through the official contact form. Provide the affected profile or listing link, the listing ID, the period, a brief chronology and action already taken.
Do not send passwords, PINs, TANs, one-time codes, complete card or online-banking details, session cookies or complete security links. Payment records should show only the details necessary for the review.
suchen.expert can review content and accounts under the applicable rules. However, the platform cannot reverse a bank or PayPal transaction, guarantee a refund or make a binding decision about private payment claims.
Police and other authorities
In cases of financial loss, account takeover, identity misuse, forged documents, extortion or suspicion of another criminal offence, you can make a report at a police station or, for non-urgent cases, through the German police online reporting portal. In an immediate emergency, call 110.
Provide an existing police reference or case number to the bank or payment service only if it is needed for that process. A police report is not a substitute for immediately reporting the incident to the bank, card issuer or PayPal and does not guarantee a refund.
If personal data, copies of identity documents or account information have been misused, also follow What should I do if my personal data has been misused?
After a loss, be particularly cautious about alleged recovery services, investigators or advisers who promise to recover the money safely in return for an advance payment. Such contact may form part of a further attempt at fraud.
