Fake Letters Demand Data for a Destatis Study That Does Not Exist

Fraudulent letters bearing the name of Germany's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) are circulating again, the agency warned on 30 July 2026. The forged documents instruct recipients to submit data for a study on international economic relations and threaten legal action if they do not comply.

The letters contain false contact details, including the email address [email protected], and a forged signature of Destatis president Dr. Ruth Brand. Neither the letters nor the Excel files attached to them come from the agency, Destatis said. According to Destatis, neither the office nor Eurostat — which the letters name as a partner of the study — is conducting such a study or collecting data for it.

Destatis advises anyone who receives such a request to ignore it, particularly any demand to write to the fake email address. The office provides guidance on its official channels on how to tell a genuine data request from a fraudulent one.

Why the Forged Destatis Letters Look Credible

How the Fakes Are Built to Convince

The letters assemble the ingredients that make an official document look genuine: a recognised government letterhead, the signature of a real office-holder, a plausible research topic, a reference to Eurostat as a partner, and a threat of legal consequences. Together these are designed to push the recipient into responding quickly rather than checking the details — in all likelihood targeting businesses familiar with routine official data reporting.

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The Recurring Pattern and the Tell

That such letters have surfaced before points to a repeat fraud operation, not a one-off mistake. The clearest signal of a fake is the email address: destatis-datenbank.eu borrows the agency's name, but genuine requests come through official channels and would never be paired with a forged signature. The agency is also categorical that no such study exists, which means any message referencing it should be treated as fraudulent.

What to Do With a Fake Destatis Data Request

If you receive one of the letters, Destatis' advice is straightforward:

  • Do not respond to the fake email address [email protected], and do not return the attached Excel files — they do not originate from Destatis.
  • Note that neither Destatis nor Eurostat runs the cited study, so any request referencing it is not genuine.
  • Before acting on any request for data, use the recognition tips published by Destatis on its official website, where genuine data requests are also announced.