Online fraud in Poland: where to report it and get money back

Online fraud: what to do right away

Online fraud means being tricked out of money or data over the internet: a fake shop, a fake "bank employee", a BLIK code request from a friend's hijacked account, a fake investment. Time matters. The order below is based on the recommendations of Poland's Central Cybercrime Bureau (CBZC):

1. Contact your bank urgently. Use the number on your card or in your app, not one from the scammer's message. Ask them to block access and cards and to try to stop the transfer.

2. Freeze your PESEL (national ID) number: in the mObywatel app, on gov.pl or at your municipal office. This makes it harder to take out a loan in your name.

3. If your social media account was taken over, warn your contacts.

4. Secure the evidence (list below) before you delete anything.

5. File a crime report.

If you gave away your email or banking password, change it from another device. For next steps with a taken-over account, see someone hacked my account: what to do.

Where to report online fraud in Poland

1. Your bank. The only party that can stop or reverse a payment. Always first.

2. The police. According to gov.pl, any police unit will accept a report and pass it on if it is not the right one. You can also send a written report by email, fax or post to the unit responsible for where the crime happened. Reporting is free.

3. The prosecutor's office. You can report in person at any prosecutor's office during office hours, or in writing.

4. CERT Polska. Report a fake website, email or message at incydent.cert.pl, and forward a text for free to 8080. CERT Polska blocks fraudulent domains and warns others, but it does not investigate cases or recover money.

5. The platform where it happened: a classifieds site, marketplace or payment provider. Use the report button on the listing or conversation.

6. Consumer disputes. Gov.pl notes that a seller who rejects your complaint is not committing a crime. A local consumer ombudsman, the Trade Inspection or the UOKiK consumer helpline (801 440 220 and 222 66 76 76) can help. For a company in another EU country, the UK, Norway or Iceland, contact the European Consumer Centre Poland (22 55 60 600, ECCNET-PL@ec.europa.eu).

Before your next purchase, check the shop using how to check if an online shop is legitimate and check its domain for free against the CERT Polska warning list.

BLIK fraud: can you get your money back?

Sometimes, but there is no guarantee. BLIK is Poland's mobile payment system, and according to BLIK the right place to complain is the bank whose app was used, because it holds the full transaction data. Call it immediately and block the app.

Whether you get a refund depends on whether the transaction was authorised. Poland's Payment Services Act (2026 consolidated text) says that for an unauthorised transaction the bank refunds the money by the end of the next business day after you report it. The exception is when the bank has reasonable, documented grounds to suspect fraud by the customer and notifies law enforcement in writing. The bank must prove you authorised the transaction, and a recorded use of the code alone is not enough. Report an unauthorised transaction within 13 months of the debit at the latest.

If you gave the BLIK code to a scammer yourself and confirmed the payment in your app, the bank may treat it as authorised. Then the next-day refund rule does not apply and the outcome depends on the circumstances and your complaint. File it in writing. For payment services the bank has 15 business days to reply, and in particularly complex cases up to 35 business days if it explains the reason for the delay. If it misses the deadline, the complaint is deemed accepted as you requested. After a rejected complaint you can ask Poland's Financial Ombudsman (Rzecznik Finansowy, rf.gov.pl) to review the case.

BLIK scams on Messenger, phone transfers and payments sent by mistake

CERT Polska warns about a scheme in which a scammer takes over a friend's messenger or social media account and asks for a transfer or a BLIK code, for example writing that they are "at the checkout and their card does not work". Before giving anything, make sure it really is them: call your friend on the number you have saved. A BLIK code is as good as cash in hand, so do not send it in a message.

Always read what you are confirming in the app: amount, type of operation and recipient. A cash machine withdrawal or an online shop purchase does not match a story about a shop checkout.

A BLIK phone transfer to someone not enrolled in the service: according to BLIK, the recipient gets a message from their bank that they cannot receive the transfer, and if they do not enrol in time, the money comes back to you. If it reached a stranger's account, contact your bank.

Buyer and seller scams on OLX: what to do

On classifieds sites, scammers usually move the chat off the platform (to WhatsApp, Messenger or text), send a link "to receive payment" or "confirm delivery", and fake payment confirmations. CERT Polska advises using only the platform's official channels and waiting until the money actually appears in your account.

As a seller, you never give card details or bank login details to "receive" money. As a buyer, pay through the platform's payment system, not by transfer to a private account outside it.

If you already entered details on a linked page: call your bank, report the listing and conversation on the platform, send the link to CERT Polska and file a police report. How to recognise a fake payment page is covered in what phishing is and how to spot it.

Chargeback: how to get money back for a card payment

A chargeback is a card scheme procedure in which your bank tries to recover money from the merchant's bank. The European Consumer Centre says that when goods do not arrive or there is attempted fraud, a card payment can in many cases be cancelled this way. You apply through your own bank.

Prepare the order confirmation, proof of payment and correspondence with the seller. A bank transfer has no chargeback procedure: if the goods never arrive, you are left with a complaint to the seller, a crime report and possibly court action. A scammer posing as a supplier and changing bank details is a separate scheme, covered in fake invoices and bank account change emails.

What evidence to collect for your report

The CBZC asks you to bring to the police:

1. The address of the website used for the fraud.

2. A copy of the correspondence (email, text, Messenger, WhatsApp) in unaltered text or electronic form. A screenshot is the minimum; an exported conversation is better.

3. The account number you paid into, the crypto wallet address or payment link, and transfer confirmations.

4. Where and when you withdrew money, if the scammer talked you into cash machine or crypto exchange withdrawals.

5. What data was stolen and how much you lost.

6. Whether and when you froze your PESEL number.

Also bring photo ID. Do not delete the conversation or listing, even if you feel embarrassed. Without them, the police have less to work with.

Fraud from abroad: Germany, the Netherlands, the UK

If you live in Poland, report to the Polish police or prosecutor, even if the scammer or shop operates abroad. For a dispute with a company in the EU, the UK, Norway or Iceland, the ECC can help. If you live abroad, report the fraud to the local police there, and to the bank in the country where you hold your account. Check the reporting forms of foreign services directly on that country's police website.