Koblenz High Court Strengthens Customer Rights Against Phishing (heise.de)

• No gross negligence found for convincing social engineering attacks.
• Banks must reimburse unauthorized financial transactions.
• Legal precedent set for digital banking liability.

"The Koblenz Higher Regional Court has ruled that bank customers are not automatically liable for negligence when falling victim to sophisticated phishing calls. The court concluded that the deception used by criminals—impersonating bank employees—was sufficiently authentic that customers cannot be held responsible for resulting unauthorized transactions. Banks are now required to reimburse losses. This ruling establishes a critical precedent for liability in digital banking fraud cases, providing greater protection for European consumers against evolving financial cyber threats."