ANAF Auctions: Verifying the 10% Participation Fee

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A payment request can look convincing while still omitting the essential point: whether you reached it through the procedure for a specific auction. That is the key threshold for anyone who sees an item online presented as being auctioned by ANAF.

For more information on online fraud, see also Online investment fraud caused losses of nearly 100 million lei in six months. What has changed in scammers’ methods, which provides complementary details on this subject.

In the eLicitațiiANAF procedure, the participation fee of 10% of the starting price is real. Therefore, the rule “never pay in advance” would be incorrect. The more precise rule is different: do not regard a payment as legitimate until you can trace, on the official platform and in your own account, the connection between the asset, your registration, the auction ID and the payment instruction. (eLicitațiiANAF — Frequently Asked Questions)

ANAF Order No. 354/2026 sets out the framework for the electronic sale of seized assets and assets that have entered the state’s private ownership. Asset listings and auctions are conducted through eLicitațiiANAF, a platform announced by ANAF and the Ministry of Finance as available from 30 March 2026. (ANAF Order No. 354/2026; ANAF–Ministry of Finance press release)

1. What You Can Check Without an Account

The platform’s public page displays assets currently being advertised, ongoing auctions, and auctions that have been cancelled or suspended. Before discussing any payment, search for the asset independently on the platform—not through a link received in an advertisement, conversation or email. Compare the description, advertising period, auction date and viewing details. (eLicitațiiANAF)

A Facebook post or an ad on a third-party website is not automatically fraudulent: it may be a repost. However, it is not sufficient proof for making a payment. If the asset cannot be found independently in the official space, there is no verifiable starting point from which to proceed.

The platform and its documentation provide for the possibility of viewing assets during the advertising period, on the dates displayed. This stage matters even after you have verified the procedure: the authenticity of the auction does not confirm the asset’s technical condition, documentation, legal status or economic value. (eLicitațiiANAF — Frequently Asked Questions; Terms and Conditions)

2. What Should Appear Only in Your Participant Journey

Participation requires authentication through an account in the Virtual Private Space (Spațiul Privat Virtual) or the ANAF portal, followed by completion of the registration process for the chosen asset. The platform’s public flow visually separates viewing assets from authentication, registration, bidding, payment after winning, and collection of the asset. (eLicitațiiANAF Guide)

For payment of the participation fee, the key element is the auction ID. The platform’s terms define it as the unique identifier of each auction, used to pay the participation fee or the bid price. For a bank transfer order or postal money order, the payment document must include the bidder’s or successful bidder’s details, tax identification code and the auction ID. (Terms and Conditions; Frequently Asked Questions)

This is where the procedural continuity test comes in. It is not enough to receive an ID in a message. You must be able to connect it to:

the asset you found on the platform;
the registration you started from your own account;
the payment information displayed for that auction;
the details that must be entered on the payment document.

This is a practical inference based on the official documentation: an isolated ID does not authenticate a request received in a chat, but it becomes a useful reference when it matches the auction and registration visible in your account.

Verification question	What a clear answer means	What to do if you do not have one
Can I find the asset directly on the platform?	The description and timetable can be compared with the external listing.	Do not proceed to payment.
Am I in my own authentication and registration flow?	Documents and requirements appear for the auction you selected.	Do not send money or documents to an external contact.
Is the ID linked to my registration?	You can see it and link it to the asset and payment instruction.	Stop the payment and restart verification from the platform.
Where will the result appear?	In the account created on the platform, through procedural documents.	Do not treat an isolated message as the final result.

3. What a Message You Receive Cannot Prove on Its Own

A logo, a PDF, an account stated to belong to the Treasury, or an ID sent over WhatsApp may reproduce genuine information or correct procedural terms. Taken separately, they do not show that payment is being requested for your registration.

This is why checking an IBAN should not be treated as the sole safety test. The procedure provides payment details, but protection does not come from comparing one piece of information in isolation. It comes from the consistency of the entire path: listed asset, authentication, registration, ID and an instruction linked to your account.

Time pressure, a request to pay through a link received on social media or messaging apps, inability to find the asset on the platform, and the other party’s refusal to allow independent verification are sufficient reasons to stop the payment. The Romanian Police recommend avoiding payments through links received on social networks or in messaging applications. (Romanian Police — prevention recommendations)

What Happens to the 10% Amount

The platform documentation uses both the term “participation fee” and “guarantee”. In both cases, the stated amount is 10% of the starting price. The documentation reviewed does not indicate that these are two separate payments of 10% each. (eLicitațiiANAF — Frequently Asked Questions)

If you do not win: the platform states that the amount is returned to the account from which it was paid within no more than five days.
If you are awarded the asset: the amount is credited against the bid price.
If you do not meet your obligations after being awarded the asset: the documentation provides for situations in which the amount is not returned and becomes revenue for the state budget, including in connection with refusing to sign the minutes or failing to pay the price on time.

The FAQ states that the balance of the price must be paid within five days of the communication of the minutes. In the event of non-payment, the auction may be repeated, and the original successful bidder may owe the costs of the new auction and the price difference if the asset is later sold for less. For payment by card, bank transfer order or postal money order, consult the current instructions on the platform; the FAQ states that processing a bank transfer order or money order may take up to three working days. (eLicitațiiANAF — Frequently Asked Questions)

The Result Is Not Confirmed in Chat

After the auction ends, the minutes on the conduct and result of the auction are issued through the platform, electronically signed by the Ministry of Finance and uploaded to participants’ accounts. The platform also states that the bidder is notified in the account created for participation. An email or message may draw attention to information, but it should not replace checking the document in your account. (procedure for communicating the result)

If You Have Already Paid or Shared Data

Do not continue the conversation in an attempt to obtain a “cancellation” from the person who contacted you. Keep proof of payment, messages, web addresses, phone numbers, emails and screenshots. If a payment or banking details are involved, contact your bank immediately about the measures available. Then notify the Police and report the incident to DNSC, on 1911 or through the platform indicated in the Romanian Police recommendations. (Romanian Police — prevention recommendations)

A Verifiable Procedure Does Not Guarantee a Good Purchase

After confirming the official path, a separate decision remains: is the asset worth buying? The platform’s terms warn that assets may be used and that there is no liability for hidden defects. Check whether viewing is possible, the asset’s condition, the documents available, collection conditions and the costs you must bear. (Terms and Conditions)

The rule to remember: do not pay because you received an auction listing. Pay only when you have been able to reconstruct, from your own official account, the full path from the listed asset to your registration and ID.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the 10% fee real in an eLicitațiiANAF auction?

Yes. The platform documentation states a participation fee or guarantee of 10% of the starting price. Payment must be linked to your registration and the auction ID, not validated solely by a message you receive.

Can I check a payment request only by the IBAN?

No. An account stated to belong to the Treasury does not by itself prove that payment is requested as part of your own registration. Check the full path: the listed asset, your account, registration, ID and the instruction on the platform.

What is the auction ID for?

It is the auction’s unique identifier and is used when paying the participation fee or bid price. It becomes useful for verification only if you can link it to the asset and registration you see in your eLicitațiiANAF account.

Where is the auction result communicated?

The procedure provides for the platform to issue the minutes on the conduct and result of the auction, electronically signed by the Ministry of Finance and uploaded to participants’ accounts. The platform also states that the bidder is notified in their account.

What happens to the 10% amount if I do not win?

The platform FAQ states that the amount is returned to unsuccessful bidders, to the account from which it was paid, within no more than five days. For the winner, the amount is credited against the bid price.

Is there confirmed fraud that imitates eLicitațiiANAF exactly?

The research materials provided do not identify a public warning from a competent authority confirming exactly such a campaign. There is an ANABI warning about impersonation of that institution in false auctions, but ANABI and ANAF are different institutions, and that case cannot be extrapolated to eLicitațiiANAF.