Deutschlandticket: Mass fraud with stolen account data
Almost all transport companies in Germany are affected by attempted fraud when purchasing Germany tickets.
(Image: VBN)
Criminals are ordering German tickets online on a large scale, using false or stolen account details. Almost all transport companies in Germany are affected, according to Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (DVB). The debit then either fails or debits an account whose holder did not even initiate the order.
DVB alone is affected by around 15,000 chargebacks, which means an economic loss of around 1.4 million euros, according to a statement. The full extent of the stolen account data is difficult to estimate because the victims first notice the fraud and then have to reclaim the money that was wrongly debited.
DVB is now working together with investigating authorities to ensure the security and integrity of the Deutschlandticket. Currently, the ticket can therefore only be ordered as a chip card until further security precautions take effect. DVB is not revealing what these are so as not to interfere with the work of the investigating authorities.
No checks
To be able to offer the Deutschlandticket bureaucratically, DVB says it has dispensed with lengthy credit checks and Schufa information. The perpetrators took advantage of this and bought tickets with stolen SEPA data. Initially, there were only isolated cases, but recently this scam has become more frequent, according to the transport company. They advise people to check their bank statements for unexplained debits from a Germany ticket and to contact them if necessary (service@dvbag.de).
In order to prevent such attempts at fraud, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has been requiring its customers to verify their accounts since the end of last year when they take out a subscription, for example when they buy a Deutschlandticket. DB works together with the financial service providers Tink and Verimi. This involves customers logging into their bank's online banking system. This procedure puts some customers off.
In February of this year, a 15-year-old boy was arrested in Saxony-Anhalt on suspicion of having illegally traded German tickets. He is said to have caused damage of around 16,000 euros in this way. According to the federal police, several hundred Germany tickets with different names were found on his smartphone. The suspect allegedly obtained the data required for the purchase through computer fraud.
(anw)
