Watchlist Internet: official-looking kirchenbeitrag.com charges 89.90 euros for free church-exit process
Watchlist Internet warned on 2 November 2026 that kirchenbeitrag.com, which looks official, charges 89.90 euros to forward a church-exit declaration that is free with the authority. Invoices come from SmartWay Solutions LLC.
- First reported
- Reports
- 1
Source: watchlist-internet.at · published
What happened
Austrian consumer-protection platform Watchlist Internet warned on 2 November 2026 about kirchenbeitrag.com. According to Watchlist Internet, people who search online for how to leave a church in Austria often find the site, which looks like an official body. It is a private service that charges 89.90 euros for forwarding the exit declaration, although leaving a church or religious community is in principle free of charge when done directly with the responsible authority. Invoices are issued in the name of a US company called SmartWay Solutions LLC, with an address in Newark, Delaware.
How the scam works
Watchlist Internet says most visitors arrive through a Google ad. The form asks for personal data, and the user must accept terms and waive the right of withdrawal so the application can be processed at once. The cost is shown only if the user clicks an information note, and the page reached through the ad lacked the cost notice that appears when the site is opened directly. Waiving the right of withdrawal, the platform says, makes it look as though the user cannot get out of the contract.
The platform adds that the data are probably passed to the authority, but the exit is still not complete: the person must also verify their identity, either with ID Austria or in person at the authority. In other words, the site charges for passing on data and leaves the decisive step to the user. It says the provider violates several legal rules.
A bill does not oblige anyone to pay. Watchlist Internet explains that a payment duty exists only if a valid contract involving costs was formed, which requires clear information before the contract and express consent to pay. If it was not clearly recognisable that the order cost money, its assessment is that no valid paid contract came into being and the amount need not be paid. Those affected should seek advice from a consumer-protection body.
Source
Watchlist Internet, “Vorsicht vor kirchenbeitrag.com: Kirchenaustritt kostet plötzlich 89,90 Euro”, reported 2 November 2026. Not independently verified by scammers.com.
Red flags
- A site called kirchenbeitrag.com that looks like an official body for leaving a church.
- A fee of 89.90 euros for a process that is normally free.
- A cost shown only behind an information link, and missing on the page reached through the Google ad.
- Terms that make you waive your right of withdrawal so the request is processed immediately.
- Invoices from SmartWay Solutions LLC of Newark, Delaware, a US company.
If you were targeted
- 1Do not pay the invoice without checking whether a valid paid contract was formed; seek advice from a consumer-protection body.
- 2Leave a church through the responsible authority, usually the district authority or magistrate, via the official oesterreich.gv.at information.
- 3Check who runs a website and what it costs before entering personal data.
- 4Be careful with ads for official services; type the official address yourself.
- 5Keep the order page, terms and invoice as evidence.