Overview

• A decision by the Rostock court confirms that debtors remain liable for original invoices even when payments follow manipulated e-invoices.
• The Ravensburg regional court is considering GDPR claims after a manipulated invoice led to €4,000 being funneled from Berlin to Africa.
• Since mandatory e-invoicing began on January 1, criminals have exploited the system by altering bank details in digital invoices to steal tens of thousands of euros.
• Chip.de, FOCUS online and the IHK are reinforcing advice to verify invoice details, confirm payments by phone and involve police to recover funds.
• Smaller businesses remain prime targets as they often lack robust cybersecurity defenses, prompting calls for tighter email filters and stronger authentication protocols.