General Civil Law2026-08-20

I've received a fake debt-collection letter – is it fraud, and what should I do now?

Something about that debt-collection letter feels off? Here's how to spot a forgery, secure the evidence and protect yourself properly – without paying a penny.

A letter in a law firm’s house style, a large sum demanded, a short deadline – and a nagging feeling that something here doesn’t add up. Professionally designed payment demands are circulating in growing numbers at the moment. They imitate well-known law firms and debt-collection agencies and press recipients into paying up quickly. If you have one of these letters in front of you, don’t pay in a panic. Check it carefully instead.

In short

A fake debt-collection letter creates no obligation to pay. You owe the sender nothing, because there is no valid claim behind it. When someone tries to obtain money through invented demands, that amounts in criminal law to attempted or completed fraud (§ 263 StGB). The key points are: don’t pay, don’t react in haste, but don’t simply throw it away either. Instead, check whether it is genuine, secure the evidence and report the matter.

How I can help you

I check for you whether the demand and the sender are genuine and entitled at all
Where needed, I draft a legally sound response to the supposed sender or to the real law firm whose name has been misused
I support you in filing a criminal complaint and reporting the matter to the relevant authorities
I clarify whether there is a real but unjustified or time-barred claim behind the fake letter – and how you can defend yourself against it

How to spot a forgery

Genuine debt-collection agencies and law firms must be registered if they collect claims for third parties on a commercial basis. Debt-collection service providers need authorisation for this under § 10 of the Legal Services Act (Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz, RDG). The publicly accessible Legal Services Register (Rechtsdienstleistungsregister) lists them there. If the sender is missing from it entirely, that is a strong indication of a forgery. The same applies where the name, address and registration number don’t match up. With supposed law firms, it is worth looking at the Federal Official Register of Lawyers (Bundesweites Amtliches Anwaltsverzeichnis). Alternatively, give the named firm a quick call – using a phone number you have looked up yourself, not the one given in the letter.

Other typical warning signs: an IBAN from a country with no discernible connection to the alleged claim, a generic or subtly altered firm logo, spelling mistakes despite the supposedly professional sender, a basis for the demand that cannot be traced (which contract, which invoice, which date?), and heavy time pressure with threats such as the seizure of your account or wages within 24 or 48 hours. Reputable demand letters always name the underlying original claim specifically. It can be verified with the alleged creditor.

In civil law: you owe nothing

A claim does not arise from a letter, but from a valid entitlement – for instance from a contract you have actually entered into. If the demand is entirely invented, there is no legal basis for it. You then have to pay nothing, however professional the letter looks or however much pressure it applies. That is also true where someone has misused the name of a genuinely existing law firm or debt-collection agency. In that case you simply never had any dealings with that business that could have triggered an obligation to pay.

It is important to distinguish this from a genuine but excessive or time-barred claim. Sometimes the sender is real, yet the claim itself is unjustified, long since time-barred, or wrong in the amount calculated. You also have to defend yourself against that – but with different means than in the case of an outright forgery, such as by lodging an objection, raising the defence of limitation, or examining the original claim. That is why a professional assessment is worthwhile in every case before you respond.

In criminal law: fraud, and what you can do

Anyone who uses a fake debt-collection letter to assert an invented claim, in order to induce you to pay through deception, fulfils the elements of fraud under § 263 StGB. This requires a deception about facts, an error caused by it, and an intention to cause financial loss for the benefit of the perpetrator. Fraud carries a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine. Even the attempt is punishable. Whether the case involves completed or merely attempted fraud depends on whether payment has already been made. For you as the person affected, that makes no difference to the recommended course of action.

Any police station or the public prosecutor’s office is responsible for taking a criminal complaint. The perpetrators are often based abroad or operate anonymously through fake accounts. That is why a complaint does not always lead to a conviction. It is important nonetheless, so that the investigating authorities can recognise a pattern and prevent further victims. At the same time, inform the consumer advice centre (Verbraucherzentrale) – it collects fraud patterns and issues public warnings about current waves. If a real law firm or debt-collection agency has been misused, notify that business too. It can then, where appropriate, take legal action against the misuse of its name.

Securing the evidence – how to go about it

Before you throw anything away or delete anything, secure the letter in full. That includes: the complete letterhead with logo and sender details, the IBAN and payee named, the date and the deadline set, the envelope with its postmark (if delivered by post), and, in the case of emails, the full headers with the actual sender address. Take photos or scans before you hand the original to the police or the consumer advice centre. These documents are the basis for the criminal complaint. They also help to classify the letter as a forgery in a legally sound way.

An example from practice

A client of mine receives a letter in the house style of a nationally known law firm. It supposedly concerns an outstanding invoice from an online shop he has never used. The sum is to be transferred within 48 hours to an account at a foreign bank, failing which enforcement is threatened. A check in the Legal Services Register reveals that no one is registered under that name. The real firm with a similar name confirms, on enquiry, that it has nothing to do with the letter. My client does not pay, secures the letter and the envelope, files a criminal complaint and informs the consumer advice centre. As far as he is concerned, the matter is then legally settled, without his having lost a single penny.

Common mistakes

Many of those affected pay out of fear of enforcement or a Schufa entry, even though neither can arise from an invented claim. Others ignore the letter entirely and throw it away without documenting it. That later leaves them without evidence, should further post – or even a genuine debt-collection or court dunning procedure – follow after all. A third common mistake: people call the phone number given in the letter to “sort it out”. But that number often leads straight to the perpetrators. They then try to extract further personal data, or even a payment, over the phone.

Frequently asked questions

Do I even have to respond to a fake debt-collection letter?

There is no duty to reply to the senders of a fake letter, because they are not asserting any genuine claim. You should still take action – but towards the police, the consumer advice centre and, where relevant, the genuinely existing law firm whose name has been misused. Not towards the fraudsters themselves.

How do I tell whether a debt-collection agency is even entitled to collect claims?

Check the registration in the Legal Services Register. It documents authorisation under § 10 RDG in a publicly accessible way. If the entry is missing or the details don’t match, then either it is a forgery or it is an inadmissible legal service.

What happens if I’ve accidentally already paid?

Contact your bank immediately to see whether a reversal or block is possible. File a criminal complaint at the same time, because money already paid is an important piece of evidence for a completed fraud. The faster you act, the greater the chances that the bank can still stop the transfer.

As a consumer, can I take action against the fraudsters myself, for instance through the civil courts?

Civil claims against anonymous perpetrators or those based abroad are, in practice, almost impossible to enforce. Their identity and address for service are usually unknown. The more effective route is the criminal complaint – it also protects other potential victims.

What is the difference from a genuine but excessive debt-collection letter?

With a genuine debt-collection agency holding a valid registration, there is usually a real original claim behind it. Its amount or justification may nonetheless be disputable in an individual case. Here a criminal complaint does not help; instead, the demand needs to be examined on its merits and, where appropriate, met with an objection or the defence of limitation.

Your next step

Whether it is a forgery or an excessive genuine claim – both can usually be resolved on a sound legal footing within a few days, provided you don’t pay prematurely and you secure the evidence. I examine your letter, assess it legally and guide you through the criminal complaint and the reporting, so that you can quickly have peace of mind again. You’ll find more on related subjects from civil law in my guide. If you have a specific letter, I recommend a short initial consultation, in which I go through the next steps with you.

This article provides general information and is no substitute for legal advice in an individual case. Last updated: 2026-08-20.

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