Guides

Ghost invoices and acquisition fraud: is this invoice real?

Every business owner gets them: a letter or e-mail that looks like an invoice, for something you never ordered. People pay out of habit — and the senders know it. One look at four things, and you throw it away.

Acquisition fraud comes in kinds. The ghost invoice: an “invoice” for a business directory, a trademark registration or a domain renewal, from a party you were never a customer of. The offer-as-invoice: a form that looks like a renewal but in the small print is a new three-year contract. And the fake domain letter: “your domain name expires, pay now”, from a company that is not your registrar.

Since 2016 acquisition fraud is punishable in the Netherlands (article 6:194 of the Civil Code was tightened). You never have to pay for something you did not order, even if it says “urgent” or “reminder”.

How to spot it

1
You did not order it.Search your own records: no order, no contract, no contact person? Then it is not an invoice but an offer in disguise.
2
The sender resembles an authority.“Kamer van Koophandel Nederland Registratie B.V.”, “Bureau Handelsregister”, “Domain Register NL”. The real KVK does not invoice registrations by post this way.
3
Small print: “this is an offer”.At the bottom, in grey: “by paying you enter into an agreement for 36 months”.
4
A domain letter from a company other than your registrar.Your registrar is where you once registered the domain (TransIP, Mijndomein, Hostnet, for instance). A letter from another company is a sales attempt.
5
Pressure and threat.“Reminder”, “final notice”, “collection”, for something that did not exist yesterday.

A real example, taken apart

letter, “Nederlands Bedrijven Register”

INVOICE — Listing in the Nederlands Bedrijven Register 2026. Amount: € 397.00 excl. VAT. Pay within 8 days. Late payment incurs administration costs.

Why this is fake

You ordered nothing; the “register” is a website nobody consults.
The name resembles a government body, but it is a private company.
The payment term and the threat of costs are meant to make the admin pay through.

What you do

Check the records.Is there an order, contract or contact person? No: do not pay.
Do not pay, do not reply.Not even “to cancel” — replying can be construed as acceptance. Throw it away or keep it for your report.
Paid anyway? Reclaim it.In writing, citing acquisition fraud (art. 6:194 BW). Paid by direct debit? Reverse it within 8 weeks through your bank.
Report it.To the Fraudehelpdesk and to the Steunpunt Acquisitiefraude (SAF). They keep lists and warn others.
Make a house rule.Payments only against an order in your own system. Whoever opens the post knows: unknown sender + invoice = to the owner, not to the bank.

Never do this

Pay because it says “invoice” or “reminder”.
Sign a “renewal form” without reading the small print.
Renew your domain name with a company other than your own registrar.

Questions people ask

A collection agency is after me. Do I have to pay now?

Not if there is no agreement. Ask the agency in writing to show the agreement and the order. Without those there is no claim. If it continues, a letter from a lawyer or the SAF is usually enough.

May a company send an offer that looks like an invoice?

No. An offer must be clearly recognisable as an offer; misleading “invoicing” is prohibited and the burden of proof lies with the sender.

How do I know who my domain registrar is?

Look up your domain via the SIDN whois (sidn.nl) for .nl domains; the registrar is listed there. Only that party sends you a real renewal.

Unsure about a website, number or e-mail?
Paste it into the checker. Thirty seconds, and you know what others already saw.

Check it now