Overview
- Consumer groups warned Tuesday that fake emails posing as the ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice demand quick payment of the public broadcasting fee.
- The messages tell people to wire money to a listed IBAN by the next day and dangle false discounts for paying six or twelve months upfront.
- Tell‑tale signs include a generic greeting, a sender address that does not end in @rundfunkbeitrag.de, repeated fake contribution numbers, and urgent “Sofort-Überweisung” language.
- The real Beitragsservice does not email short‑notice wire requests or offer discounts, and it urges people to delete these emails and verify any claims through official channels or a SEPA direct‑debit mandate.
- Consumer advocates say the IBAN cited in the scam points to an account at a Spanish bank’s German branch, and warn that instant transfers are hard to reverse once sent.