Topic Unauthorised business Unlawful conduct of insurance business by Reichsbürger
Article from BaFin's 2017 annual report
BaFin has to take action against unlawful insurance transactions conducted by so-called Reichsbürger (Reich Citizens) with increasing regularity (see info box "Reichsbürger").
Reichsbürger
"Reichsbürger" (Reich Citizens) is a collective label used for a large number of groups that, despite ideological differences, have one thing in common: they dispute the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany and refuse to recognise its legal system. The German intelligence agencies estimate that there are approximately 15,000 people in the Reichsbürger scene throughout Germany (as at: third quarter of 2017). The intelligence authorities regard around 900 of them as right-wing extremists.1
The various groups have not only started issuing their own identity documents, commercial licences and driver's licences, but are increasingly also offering their own insurance policies. These range from contents insurance and residential buildings insurance through burglary insurance down to motor vehicle liability insurance and health insurance. Even though these insurance contracts are only meant to be entered into with members of the respective grouping, this still constitutes the unauthorised conduct of insurance business. BaFin systematically takes action against such business. In individual circumstances where it has to issue formal instructions to this end, it also publishes these cases on its website, www.bafin.de.
The potential for loss is particularly high in cases where health insurance is offered without authorisation. Depending on the amount of the loss, policyholders may get into so much debt that they cannot repay it from their own resources.
- 1 https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/arbeitsfelder/af-reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/zahlen-und-fakten-reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter-personenpotenzial-2017
