Germany: Avoiding scams

Fake job offers

• Fake ads and career pages can look as professional as real ones.
• Signs: no qualifications requested, fully remote work with no office, an exact hourly wage, trust built only by calls or chat, and requests for bank details, ID or insurance proof before a contract, or for video identification.
• End the application at once if asked for these before signing. Check the job on the company’s official career page and verify its address independently.
• The consumer centres offer a Fakeshop-Finder and an emergency check (Notfall-Check) if you have already been caught.

Sham employment contracts

• A “sham” employment contract made only to obtain a residence title is void under § 117 BGB, even if a salary is paid, unless there is real intent to work.
• Untrue statements to authorities count as false information under the Residence Act and can be prosecuted. Visa offices and foreigners authorities may involve law enforcement if they suspect a sham.

Housing payments

• As a check on any rental request: the legal cap on a cash deposit is three months’ rent excluding flat-rate service charges, and it may be paid in three instalments (§ 551 BGB).

To help you plan: unofficial, approximate figures

To help you plan, we added practical figures collected from reliable independent sources, each shown with its date. Treat them as a guide: they are approximate and can change, so confirm the final figure with the official source or the organisation concerned before you act.

• Housing scams (European Consumer Centre Germany, updated 27 March 2026): fake owners abroad or fake agents ask for a deposit by money transfer, often through a non-existent “Treuhandservice”, before you receive keys. Advice given: pay only after seeing the flat and signing the contract, do not send ID scans in advance, check that an agent has a § 34c Gewerbeordnung licence and a complete imprint, report listings to the portal, call the police if defrauded, and ask your bank about a chargeback if you paid by card or direct debit (deadlines apply). Scams can be reported to Watchlist Internet.

Worth checking next: any German page on visa-fee scams. Use the official embassy or consulate page for fees and never pay someone who promises a visa or job guarantee.

Drafted from the official pages listed under Sources, last read on 26 October 2026. Rules change and differ by region or city: confirm on the official page before you act. General information, not legal advice.