Blocked accounts of foreign students: BaFin takes action against Hamburg service providers

Students from abroad have to open so-called blocked accounts in Germany, from which they receive monthly money. But a Hamburg company did not make any payments. Now the financial regulator is reacting.

The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) is targeting the Hamburg company BAM (Nationwide Plant Management). The private service provider is no longer allowed to operate so-called blocked accounts for students from abroad. Research of the SWR showed that around 100 people affected have not received any transfers from the blocked accounts they have opened for months, some of them for months.

It is mandatory for foreign students to set up such blocked accounts before they apply for a visa to study in Germany. According to the Foreign Office, this serves to cover the costs during the stay in Germany. Students must deposit at least EUR 10,332 in advance into such a blocked account. A maximum of 861 euros of this can be transferred to the student’s current account per month.

Money “collected” in your own account

BAM was founded in Berlin in 2020. BaFin is now accusing the company of “unauthorized deposit business”. The service provider did not open the blocked accounts for the benefit of the respective students and in their names, but “collected” the money in their own account. To SWR-Information, it should go to an amount in the lower single-digit million range.

According to BaFin, BAM was thus operating a deposit business without the required approval. The financial supervisory authority announced on its website that it had ordered the immediate settlement of BAM’s business.

More than 100 people affected

The SWR there is a private list of suspected victims from different countries drawn up by students. Accordingly, it is about 110 people affected and a total of at least 850,000 euros, which are allegedly in blocked accounts.

The 26-year-old Iranian student Farid Azarkam, who studies logistics in Hof in Bavaria, reported this SWRthat he set up a blocked account with BAM three months ago and deposited 10,500 euros. He put to the SWR a “blocked account confirmation” from the company dated April 7, 2021.

Since then, he has not received a monthly transfer, he says. However, he urgently needs this money to pay his rent and health insurance contributions. He has already had to borrow money from friends. “My father and I saved the money for four years. Now my father cannot transfer any more money to me, especially since it is very difficult to do so from Iran,” Azarkam said SWR. All inquiries from BAM came to nothing. The SWR he submitted the corresponding e-mails.

Company website unavailable

BAM recently advertised on its website that it offered “a strategy that perfectly suits every student”. One is listed on the website of the Foreign Office as one of the “officially accepted” providers of blocked accounts. Accordingly, the company demanded a fee of 60 euros for opening the blocked account.

According to the website, she also offered the mediation of health insurance and accommodation. In the meantime, it says on their website that it is “unreachable”. If you write to an e-mail address given there, you will receive the information that there are “technical problems”. Reference is made to Aareal Bank in Wiesbaden, where BAM maintains student accounts.

On SWR-Aareal Bank confirmed that students had contacted the bank because, according to their own statements, they had not received any payments from BAM blocked accounts since the beginning of July. The bank itself is not allowed to make any transfers to the students. The competent authorities would, however, seek a solution with the involvement of the bank. “Measures to secure the trust funds have already been carried out”. This was also confirmed by BaFin. When the students will get their money back remains an open question for the time being.

The Federal Foreign Office removed BAM from its website

The Hamburg public prosecutor informed that SWR Upon request, the police had received “some criminal charges” about the incident, which were still being processed there. The Foreign Office said that SWRthat the listing of the company BAM on the website of the Foreign Office was “not a recommendation” and was not associated with an examination procedure under banking law. The reference to the company BAM was removed on July 7th, “because it does not offer the opening of further blocked accounts for the time being.”

The BAM company did not respond to an e-mail request and could not be reached by phone either. In one of the SWR The company writes to the current customer service e-mail to students that they have “technical difficulties with the bank”. Money deposited there cannot currently be moved. Work on a solution to the problem.