How to use this page

This page describes common patterns, not named cases. Every example below is generic, and the sample offer is fictional. Nothing here says that a particular club, agency or person is dishonest, and no single feature proves fraud. The more of these features an offer has, the more independent checking it needs. The 15-point checklist is the full review; this page is a quick filter.

Common patterns

  1. Money before a written contract. A “registration”, “transfer”, “visa guarantee” or “placement” fee is requested first, often within a day or two, to a personal account.
  2. A guaranteed place. Nobody can guarantee a roster place or a contract. Coaches decide selection, and a transfer or registration can be refused.
  3. A cloned or look-alike contact. The sender uses a free email address or a domain that resembles a real club's, or borrows a real club's name and logo.
  4. An unverified intermediary. The person says the club has “authorised” them but cannot show any written authority, and the club cannot confirm them.
  5. A paid camp sold as a selection. A tryout that is really a paid camp with no roster spots, presented as an invitation to join the team.
  6. Work on tourist status. The player is told to arrive as a tourist and “the club will sort out the documents later”. Immigration status decides whether the player may train and play legally.
  7. Pressure and blank pages. A deadline of hours, a request to sign a signature page only, or to hand over an original passport.
  8. “Included” without detail. Housing, school, insurance or a stipend are said to be included but are not written down with the address, the provider, the amounts or the responsible adult.

Some legitimate programmes charge for tuition, boarding or a hockey programme. The test is not whether money changes hands. It is whether the payee is the same legal entity that signs the agreement, what exactly the money buys, and what happens if the player is not registered or the move does not happen.

A 30-minute check

  1. Find the club's official website yourself and call the number published there, not the number in the message. Ask whether they sent the offer.
  2. Check that the club appears on its league or federation's own site, and that the team and age group named in the offer exist.
  3. Ask for the legal name, registered address and registration number of the contracting party, and check that the name on the payment details is the same.
  4. Ask the national federation or league whether it requires agents or intermediaries to be registered, and whether this person is listed. Rules differ by country.
  5. Ask for the housing, school, insurance and responsible-adult details in writing. For a minor, see the child-safety guide.
  6. Ask who handles the IIHF transfer, the national registration and any work or residence permission, and when. See the IIHF transfer guide and the documents guide.
  7. Ask what is refunded, when and by whom, if the player is not registered, is injured or leaves.

A fictional sample offer, annotated

Fictional example. Invented for illustration. “Northern Stars HC”, “Euro Elite Hockey Management” and every detail below are made up and do not refer to any real club, agency or person.

What is wrong with each line

  1. “Guaranteed place.” No one outside the coaching staff can guarantee selection. The offer also names no league, no coach and no age-group rules, so there is nothing to verify.
  2. The fee. It is paid within 48 hours, which leaves no time to check anything, and to a person rather than to the club or a registered company. A “visa guarantee” is not something a private person can sell. Ask who exactly the contracting entity is.
  3. The refund. It depends on an event the family does not control, and no terms are given: who refunds, from which account, by what date, and what if the player is not registered.
  4. “Included … on arrival.” There is no address, provider, school name, amount or responsible adult. For a minor this is the most important gap.
  5. Tourist travel. Immigration status decides whether the player may train and play. “Later” is not a plan; ask who applies, for which permit, and before when.
  6. “Signature page only.” Signing a page without the full text means agreeing to terms you have not seen. The same-day deadline is pressure, not a requirement.

The sender's address is on a generic mail domain, not a club domain, and the letter does not name the legal entity, its registered address or the club's coach. A real offer lets you verify each of these.

If you think you are being scammed

  • Stop paying and stop sending documents, especially a passport scan or banking details.
  • If you have paid, contact your bank at once to ask whether the payment can be stopped or recalled.
  • Keep emails, chats, receipts and the offer itself.
  • Report it to the police or the consumer-fraud authority in your country, and to the club and federation through contact details you found yourself.
  • You can send us the offer for an initial review. EHA is not a legal advisor and cannot recover money, but we can help you see which parts to question.

Related

See the parent guide, the visas and transfers guide and the season cost calculator for comparing written offers.

How to cite

European Hockey Agency, “Hockey offer scams: common patterns and an annotated sample offer,” updated 14 October 2026.

Official sources

Sources checked: July 2026 (links to official bodies); the page was reviewed in October 2026.

FAQ

Is every fee a sign of a scam?

No. Academies, camps and some programmes legitimately charge fees. The questions are who the legal entity is, whether the fee and what it buys are in a written agreement, whether the payee is that entity and what the refund terms are. A fee tied to a “guaranteed” roster place or contract is a red flag.

A club contacted me on social media. Is that a problem?

Not by itself, but verify the sender. Find the club's official website and phone number yourself and call them, instead of using the contact details in the message.

Does a signed document mean the offer is real?

No. Check who signed for the club, whether that person can bind it and whether the document defines the competition, the term and the money. A document can look official and still say nothing you can rely on.

What should I do if I have already paid?

Contact your bank straight away to ask whether the payment can be stopped or recalled, keep every message, and report it to the police or the consumer-fraud authority where you live. Tell the club through the contact details you found independently.