Extensive fraud associated with the Deutschlandticket in the southwestern region.

Unlawful acts or deeds. - Extensive deception involving the Germany Ticket in the southwest region.

The traffic associations in Baden-Württemberg, Germany have expressed concerns about the fraud involving the Germany Ticket introduced a year ago, which is causing considerable damage. This scam involves submitting fake or stolen account details when ordering tickets, resulting in either non-deductions or charges to accounts of individuals who didn't even place the orders. The affected associations urge people to examine their statements for any unexplained deductions from a Germany Ticket and seek refunds for the incorrectly debited funds. The transport companies themselves implement various measures to protect themselves from fraudsters.

The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) continues to encounter fraud cases in the Single European Payments Area (SEPA) direct debit process since the introduction of the Germany Ticket. With the rise of payment failures related to blocked direct debits caused by stolen or counterfeit payment data, the RMV managing director, Knut Ringat, stated that Germany Ticket sales are currently facing fraud cases on an unprecedented scale. In February, around 12% of the Germany Tickets sold by the RMV were affected. The losses sustained are well into the seven-digit range.

As a result, RMV decided to temporarily suspend the direct debit as a payment method in RMVgo for new customers and existing customers. Customers can still purchase tickets via the RMVgo app with credit cards and through direct debit in the RMV ticket shop on rmv.de and at sales outlets. Nearly 60% of all purchases are processed through the RMVgo app. The RMV is currently introducing extra security measures for SEPA direct debits in the digital payment process to reinstate this payment method in the second quarter.

The Regio Verkehrsverbund Freiburg (RVF) reports that the Germany Ticket is now only available as a chip card, making fraud more complicated due to the need to provide a delivery address. Most associations stated in a parliamentary paper that since the inauguration of the Germany Ticket, there have been no significant changes or isolated incidents. The damage incurred is generally below or around €1,000.

However, this differs drastically from the Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart (VVS), which mentioned an undefined six-digit amount as the financial loss, and the Verkehrsverbund naldo, which reported a financial loss of €48,000. "We have limited direct sales," said a naldo spokesperson. Additional measures against fraud are also underway. The VVS further verified suspicious email addresses to prevent multiple purchases.

According to a VVS spokesperson, fraud has plagued the RMV since the launch of the Germany Ticket through SEPA direct debit procedures. "Fraudsters sign up for subscriptions by using forged or stolen bank data under different identities. There was then an increase in abuse of the subscription service for the Germany Ticket over the New Year's Eve 2023/2024 period."

The VVS, which is the largest transport association in Baden-Württemberg, sold almost half of the Germany Tickets in the state. "This means that the damage sustained is higher than in other associations within the state," said the VVS spokesperson.

The damage is primarily incurred by the transport companies responsible for administering the subscriptions within the VVS rather than the consumers or passengers. In layman's terms, the fraudsters use a subscription they don't pay for, and that revenue is consequently missing from the association's account. The companies have implemented stricter verification mechanisms and general preventative measures against fraud, leading to a decrease in these cases.

The VVS urges passengers to remain vigilant and contact one of the VVS subscription centers (https://www.vvs.de/deutschlandticket) should they notice unauthorized deductions. The affected individuals should also report the situation to their banks and the police.

The Ministry of Transport reports that over 1.5 million people in southwest Germany use the Germany Ticket or its discounted version for youngsters. The figures likely would be higher, as Deutsche Bahn's subscribers are not part of the ministry's survey. The discounted Germany Ticket has been available since May of last year.

In summary, the traffic associations in Baden-Württemberg are dealing with rampant fraud involving the Germany Ticket, resulting in significant financial damage to those affected. The fraudsters typically use false or stolen account details when purchasing these tickets, leading to either unsuccessful deductions or unauthorized charges to other accounts. To combat this issue, the affected transport associations and companies have introduced various measures to safeguard their systems and refund customers who have suffered from this scam.