Günter Ostermaier, who intended to terminate the license for his deceased mother, instead received an unexpected debt collection notice and was left confused about what had gone wrong.
“I cannot believe something like this is even allowed,” said Ostermaier. He thought he had completed the cancellation process through the official portal of Germany’s public broadcasting contribution service (ARD, ZDF, and Deutschlandradio). But weeks later, a payment demand arrived—issued not by the official service, but by a debt collection agency acting on behalf of a company called Digitaler Post Service FZCO, registered in Dubai. The invoice totaled 39.99 euros.
Deceptive Website Disguised as Official Service
Ostermaier had used a fake website called, which closely resembled the official site but had no affiliation with it. The page charged a hidden processing fee for filling out a basic deregistration form. Ostermaier said he had received no prior warning, invoice, or notice—only the debt collection letter revealed the charge.
Sibylle Miller-Trach from the Bavarian Consumer Association called the operation misleading and illegitimate: “What is being claimed here has nothing to do with the actual broadcasting fee. The company operates opaquely and unethically.” Although the site is now offline, the damage has already been done.
This is not the first such incident. A nearly identical platform—service-rundfunkbeitrag —drew similar complaints last year. It, too, was operated by Digitaler Post Service FZCO. In response, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv) initiated a class-action lawsuit against the company.
How Consumers Can Protect Themselves
In reality, canceling a broadcasting license through the official website rundfunkbeitrag.de is free of charge. For added security, consumers may also send the deregistration request by post, including full name, address, and account number. However, there is always the risk that mail may not be delivered, making the cancellation invalid.
The Bavarian Consumer Association also advises checking with the official service to confirm that the cancellation was successful to avoid unexpected withdrawals.
Help with Collection Demands
Those who receive sudden payment requests and are unsure of their legitimacy can use the association’s free online tool:
👉 www.verbraucherzentrale.bayern/inkasso-check
There, individuals can review whether a claim is lawful and assess whether the company is trustworthy. A “blacklist” of untrustworthy firms is also available to guide users.
Ostermaier, at least, found closure: the scam site is gone, the consumer lawsuit is underway, and he ignored the collection demand. “I just deleted the email account and never paid,” he said with relief.
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