Belgian banks and itsme app tighten security to curb phishing

From next year Belgian banks will introduce extra safeguards aimed at making phishing attacks harder. Measures include lower standard limits for transfers, a mandatory waiting period before a limit can be raised and a shift toward ordinary transfers rather than instant payments. The goal is to stop victims from sending large sums to fraudsters under time pressure.

At the same time the popular Belgian digital‑identity app itsme will add a new facial‑verification step that matches the user’s face with the photo on the national ID card before confirming logins, payments or document signatures. This extra layer is intended to block account‑takeover attempts and reduce fraud where criminals trick users into approving transactions.

Both initiatives are part of a broader fight against rising online fraud in Belgium, where phishing campaigns have become more sophisticated with AI‑generated messages and multi‑channel attacks. Banks already use automated monitoring of suspicious transactions, but the human element remains the weakest link. The new rules may make some banking actions slightly slower, but officials argue the added protection outweighs the inconvenience.