If you have been the victim of online dating fraud in Germany — whether through a romance scam, a fake profile scheme, or a fraudulent dating platform — knowing exactly where and how to report it is the critical first step toward both potential recovery and preventing the same criminals from targeting other victims. Germany has a well-developed reporting infrastructure for online fraud, and using it correctly maximises both your individual outcomes and the collective effort to combat dating fraud.

This step-by-step guide covers every relevant reporting channel in Germany — from local police to federal agencies, from consumer protection bodies to European-level fraud reporting — with specific guidance on what to report where and what to prepare before you start.

Before You Report: Essential Preparation

Before filing any report, gather and organise your evidence. Effective fraud reporting requires:

• Screenshots of all conversations with the fraudulent profile (WhatsApp, in-app messages, email)
• Profile screenshots showing the scammer’s photos, username, and profile information
• Records of all financial transfers — bank statements, credit card statements, PayPal history
• Copies of any promises made — investment returns, travel plans, loan repayments
• Details of the dating platform through which contact was made
• Any real names, phone numbers, email addresses, or bank account details the scammer provided

Print or digitally organise this documentation before your first report — every reporting body will need it,

and having it ready makes every subsequent step faster and more effective.

Step 1: Local Police (Polizeidienststelle)

Your first report should be to your local police station. File a formal criminal complaint (Strafanzeige) in person at your nearest Polizeidienststelle. Bring printed copies of all your evidence. Explain clearly that you are a victim of online romance fraud or dating platform fraud.

What to expect: The officer will take your statement and file a formal report. You will receive a reference number for your complaint — keep this number carefully as you will need it for all subsequent steps. In some cases, you may be directed to the cybercrime unit of your regional Landespolizei,

which has specialist capacity for online fraud investigations.

Why this matters: A formal police report is the foundational document for every other recovery and reporting step. Banks, insurance companies, consumer protection bodies,

and civil lawyers will all require evidence that you have filed a police report.

Step 2: Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) — Federal Criminal Police

Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA) maintains a dedicated internet crime reporting portal specifically for online fraud, including romance scams. Report at: bka.de — navigate to the online crime reporting section (Internetkriminalität melden).

The BKA aggregates fraud reports from across Germany, which supports national and international investigations into fraud networks. Reporting to the BKA is important even if your local police have already taken a report — the federal level intelligence picture is built from individual reports,

and your report may link to a wider investigation targeting the same fraud network that victimised you.

Step 3: Bundesnetzagentur — Federal Network Agency

Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) handles complaints about fraudulent communications and services. If the fraud involved any German phone numbers, German-registered email addresses,

or German-hosted online services, report to the Bundesnetzagentur at bundesnetzagentur.de. This is particularly relevant for dating platform fraud where the platform itself may be registered in Germany or operating under German jurisdiction.

Step 4: The Dating Platform

Report the fraudulent profile to the dating platform through which contact was made, using the platform’s in-app or website reporting function. This removes the fraudulent account from the platform and may generate a record that supports refund requests.

If the platform is German-registered or operates prominently in Germany and you believe it has failed to protect users from systematic fraud (as in the case of platforms with documented fake profile issues),

escalate your complaint to the platform’s data protection officer and consider filing a formal complaint under GDPR with your regional Datenschutzbeauftragter (Data Protection Authority).

Step 5: Verbraucherzentrale — Consumer Advice Centre

Germany’s network of Verbraucherzentrale offices provides free guidance on consumer rights in the context of online fraud. They can advise you on your rights regarding dating platform refund claims,

bank dispute procedures, civil legal remedies,

and GDPR complaints against platforms that mishandled your personal data.

Find your local Verbraucherzentrale at verbraucherzentrale.de. Many offices offer telephone and online consultations as well as in-person appointments. This should be an early step — not an afterthought — in your response to online dating fraud.

Step 6: European Fraud Reporting Channels

ECC-Net (European Consumer Centre Germany)

If the fraud involved a business operating from another EU member state, the European Consumer Centre Germany (ECC-Net at evz.de) can help mediate cross-border consumer disputes. This is relevant for dating platforms registered in other EU countries (Luxembourg, Malta, and the Netherlands are common registration locations for international dating companies).

EC3 — Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre

Major international romance fraud networks are increasingly investigated at the European level through Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3). German police reports feed into the national intelligence picture that Germany shares with Europol. You do not need to report directly to Europol — your BKA report feeds into this system — but knowing this context explains why federal-level reporting matters beyond just your individual case.

Step 7: IC3 (For Scammers Based in or Targeting Users From USA)

If your scammer claimed to be American, or if the fraud involved a US-based platform (such as AnastasiaDate,

which is a US-incorporated company),

also file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. This is the primary channel for international romance fraud reports involving US entities or perpetrators.

Sector-Specific Reporting for Dating Platform Fraud

If the Platform Is GDPR Non-Compliant

If you believe a dating platform violated your GDPR rights — for example, by misusing your personal data,

failing to honor data deletion requests, or engaging in deceptive practices about data processing — file a formal GDPR complaint with your regional Datenschutzbehörde. In Germany, this is managed at the Länder level — find your relevant authority through the BfDI (Bundesbeauftragter für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit).

If the Platform Made Misleading Commercial Claims

If a dating platform made specific commercial claims that were demonstrably false — for example,

claiming all profiles are verified when documented evidence shows this is not the case — this may constitute misleading commercial practice under the UWG (Gesetz gegen unlauteren Wettbewerb). Report to the Wettbewerbszentrale for this type of complaint.

Frequently Asked Questions: Reporting Dating Fraud in Germany

Is there a time limit for reporting romance fraud in Germany?

Criminal reports can generally be filed at any time after the fraud occurred, but the sooner you report,

the better the investigation prospects. For civil claims, German statute of limitations rules generally allow three years from the date you became aware of the fraud and the identity of the responsible party. Consult a lawyer for advice specific to your situation.

Will I be embarrass report to the police?

German police take online fraud seriously and treat victims with respect. Romance fraud affects people at every income and education level. Officers handling these reports are typically experience with the emotional complexity of romance scam cases and will not judge you for having victim. Your report is important for the broader investigation effort regardless of how much you lost.

What happens after I file my reports?

In many individual cases — particularly where the scammer is overseas and untraceable — criminal prosecution may not result from your specific report. However,

your report contributes to investigative databases that support larger operations against fraud networks. The consumer protection and bank dispute pathways have more direct individual impact for financial recovery.

Conclusion

Reporting online dating fraud in Germany is a multi-step process that benefits from being systematic and thorough. Each reporting channel serves a different purpose: local police establish the foundational criminal record; the BKA builds national intelligence; the Verbraucherzentrale advises on civil recovery; and GDPR complaints target platform accountability. Working through all relevant channels — not just one — gives you the best possible outcomes across all dimensions of the fraud.

For more on money recovery after romance fraud and understanding how these scams work,

read our guides on romance scam money recovery in Germany and romance scams on German dating sites.