Overview
- An undercover FOCUS online test using a fictitious identity triggered an email invoice for €29.90 within minutes and a payment link to an external processor listing a Covent Garden, London address.
- The Deutsche Rentenversicherung confirms its official site is www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de and that requesting notices and other documents there is free.
- Searches for generic terms like “Rentnerauskunft” can lead users to commercial or deceptive providers that mimic the DRV’s design and charge for forwarding requests.
- Consumer advisers single out the portal rentnerauskunft.de as a private company based in London that collects data and relays applications, even though the same documents are available free directly from the DRV.
- The Verbraucherzentrale notes many invoices from such sites may be unenforceable if the order button is not clearly labeled as payment-required, and users should watch for red flags like foreign imprints and umlaut substitutions such as “ae” or “ue,” then use the DRV hotline 0800 10 00 48 00 if unsure.