Oldenburg court rules on man-in-the-middle email fraud

A ruling by the Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg has addressed the legal consequences of a ‘man-in-the-middle’ attack during a vehicle purchase. In the case, a buyer attempted to purchase a used car for approximately €17,000 from a dealership. During the email communication regarding bank details, unknown perpetrators intercepted and manipulated the messages, replacing the dealership’s IBAN with their own in a PDF attachment.

The buyer transferred the funds to the fraudulent account, which were immediately moved abroad. While the dealership provided the vehicle, they subsequently demanded the purchase price again as the original payment never reached them. The court noted that a seller is generally not liable for such fraud unless it can be proven that their insufficient security measures enabled or contributed to the scam.