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Who pays if you are scammed shopping online in Germany?

In short

Who pays if you are scammed shopping online in Germany? Mostly it depends on how you paid. You can reverse a direct debit for 8 weeks, a credit card chargeback usually works up to 120 days, and buyer protection often allows 180 days. A bank transfer is usually lost. Then only a cyber policy with a cash benefit pays, up to its limit per case.

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What it costs

What fraud protection costs in Germany and what it delivers, based on published tariffs and test results.

Example	Typical range
Credit card chargeback	usually EUR 0, some banks charge a handling fee
Cyber policy without cash benefit for purchase fraud	from about EUR 45 a year
Cyber policy paying up to EUR 3,000 per fraud case, single person	around EUR 137 a year
The same policy for a family	around EUR 161 a year
Range of all tested cyber tariffs, single person	EUR 7 to 212 a year

Guide values, October 2026, from published tariff prices and deadlines.

That cyber policies require a police report and that other routes come first is a guide value from our quoting practice; the exact terms are in each tariff.

Payment services may change their deadlines, their current terms apply.

Worked example

Used laptop for EUR 900, three ways to pay

A seller on a classifieds site offers a laptop below market price and asks for payment up front. After payment the account is gone.

Paid by credit card, chargeback filed after 2 weeks	refund of EUR 900 very likely
Paid by bank transfer, no cyber policy	EUR 900 usually lost
Paid by bank transfer, cyber policy with EUR 3,000 per case and EUR 150 excess	refund about EUR 750

The payment method matters more than any insurance. If you still pay by transfer, you need a cyber policy with a high enough limit per case.

Two kinds of fraud

In the first, you pay and nothing arrives: a fake shop, a fake seller on a classifieds site, concert tickets that never existed. You authorised the payment yourself. Whether you get the money back depends on the payment method.

In the second, someone pays with your details, for example after you entered them on a fake banking page or your card was stolen. You did not authorise that payment. Under German law (section 675v BGB) the bank must refund it and you bear at most EUR 50. That does not apply if you were grossly negligent, for example if you read out a TAN code on the phone.

Who pays back for each payment method

Deadlines are short and run from the payment, not from when you notice the fraud. Act as soon as you have doubts.

Payment method	Who returns your money	Deadline
SEPA direct debit	your bank reverses it	8 weeks, 13 months if never authorised
Credit card	the bank via chargeback, if the merchant does not dispute it	usually up to 120 days
Payment service with buyer protection	the payment service	usually 180 days, not for payments to friends
Pay on invoice (Kauf auf Rechnung)	nobody needs to, you only pay on delivery	not applicable
Bank transfer, prepayment	almost never the bank, only a cyber policy with cash benefit	call your bank at once, report to the police
Gift cards, cash transfer services	practically nobody	ask the provider to block at once

What cyber insurance pays for online shopping fraud

Personal cyber insurance only pays for purchase fraud if the tariff includes a cash benefit. Basic tariffs often only offer advice. Better ones pay, for example, up to EUR 3,000 per case and EUR 10,000 a year.

Almost all tariffs require a police report and that you first tried every other route, meaning chargeback and buyer protection. The insurer covers what is left.

What contents and legal expenses insurance add

Some contents policies (Hausratversicherung) have an online banking add-on. It pays when strangers empty your account, but usually not when you transferred money to a fake shop yourself.

Legal expenses insurance with contract law cover pays a lawyer if you take action against a real but unreliable seller. Against scammers without an address it achieves little.

When extra cover is not worth it

If you only pay on invoice, by direct debit, by credit card or with buyer protection, you are fairly well protected without insurance. A cyber policy just for this is hardly worth it.

It is different if you often buy and sell privately and sellers insist on bank transfer. Then a policy for EUR 125 to 160 a year is real protection.

Step by step

Call your bank or payment service at once and request a chargeback or buyer protection.
Save order confirmation, chat history, shop page and payment receipt as screenshots.
Report the fraud to the police; most German states accept reports online.
Notify your cyber insurer with the police report and receipts.
If strangers debited your account, block card and online banking via the emergency number 116 116.

Checklist

Legal notice (Impressum) with address and commercial register checked
Price not unrealistically low
Payment on invoice, direct debit, credit card or with buyer protection possible
No payments to friends when buying from strangers
Reviews read outside the shop itself
Cyber policy with cash benefit if you often pay by transfer

Common mistakes

Agreeing to prepayment by transfer because the discount is big
Letting the chargeback or buyer protection deadline pass
Not reporting to the police, insurers usually require it
Giving a TAN or code on the phone, after which the bank often need not refund

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Must my bank refund a transfer to a fake shop?

Generally not, because you authorised the payment yourself. A quick call only helps if the money has not yet been booked.

Does contents insurance pay for online shopping fraud?

Usually not. An online banking add-on is more likely to pay when strangers misuse your account, not when you pay a fraudster yourself.

Does buyer protection apply on classifieds sites?

Only if you paid using the option for goods and services. Payments to friends are excluded.

What if I am scammed as a seller?

For example with a fake payment confirmation. Only cyber tariffs that explicitly include fraud when selling pay for this.

Is a police report worth it if the scammer is abroad?

Yes. Without one, insurers and often payment services will not pay, and many cases are linked.

How much does cyber insurance pay for shopping fraud?

Depending on the tariff, nothing up to a few thousand euros per case, for example EUR 3,000 per case and EUR 10,000 a year.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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Cyber insurance for businesses in Germany

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