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24 clusters · 94 sources · 64 days · First seen · Last updated

Global banking phishing and fraud trends

Overview

Authorities and legal experts across Europe continue to warn of rising banking fraud, phishing, and impersonation scams. In Spain, law enforcement has highlighted a surge in ‘smishing’, where fraudulent texts appear within legitimate bank message threads. This tactic is echoed by cybersecurity firm Bitdefender, which reports that financial and investment fraud accounted for 10.7 percent of analyzed fraudulent attempts globally. Scammers frequently use ‘spoofing’ to mimic real banking portals and employ social engineering to create urgency, such as claiming a card is blocked or instructing victims to transfer funds to a ‘security account’.

In Italy, CERT-AGID reported 49 phishing campaigns in a single week in June 2026, many impersonating official services like pagoPA and SEND via fake unpaid fine notifications. New methods include ‘quishing’, which uses QR codes on fake documents to direct users to fraudulent payment pages. Attackers are also utilizing international prefixes for large-scale scams, including WhatsApp job offers from France, banking smishing from the UK, and the ‘Wangiri’ scam from Cuba, where victims are prompted to call back expensive satellite numbers.

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, authorities are intensifying efforts to combat digital threats. The Czech Police launched a Virtual Prevention Center to provide advice on cybersecurity and safety. In the Liberec region, police reported significant losses, including a senior losing nearly three million CZK to a fake investment tax scheme and another individual losing over four million CZK through fraudulent cryptocurrency instructions. In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, authorities continue to warn of sophisticated schemes targeting pensioners through spoofing of social insurance agencies.

Entities

Police of the Czech Republic · Sociálna poisťovňa · SI-CERT · Andrej Plenković · Západoslovenská energetika

Timeline

  1. [CRIME] 4 sources
    Czech and Slovak authorities tackle rising cybercrime and online fraud

    Czech and Slovak authorities are addressing rising digital crimes, including major investment frauds and cyber threats, through new virtual prevention tools and calls for increased digital literacy.

  2. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Cybercrime Alert: New phishing and spoofing tactics targeting bank accounts

    Cybercriminals are using quishing, smishing, and spoofing to steal funds, often impersonating official Italian services or using international prefixes to conduct large-scale fraud.

  3. [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    Sociálna poisťovňa warns of new phishing scam mimicking mobile app

    The Social Insurance Agency is warning of a phishing scam using a fake mobile app interface to trick users into paying fictitious debts and stealing bank and credit card details.

  4. [CRIME] 3 sources
    Slovenia warns of phishing scam targeting energy subsidies

    Slovenian authorities have warned of a phishing scam using fake energy subsidies and fraudulent websites to steal banking and personal data via Viber and deceptive domains.

  5. [CRIME] 6 sources
    Authorities in Croatia and Germany issue warnings against rising fraud and phishing scams

    Police in Croatia and consumer groups in Germany are warning citizens about rising scams, including telephone impersonation of medical staff and phishing attempts disguised as official government surveys.

  6. [CRIME] 3 sources
    Scammers target pensioners in Slovakia and Czech Republic

    Authorities in Slovakia and the Czech Republic are warning of sophisticated scams using spoofing and fake official documents to target pensioners and steal banking credentials.

  7. [CRIME] 8 sources
    Cybercriminals target bank customers with phishing and NFC fraud

    Cybercriminals are employing phishing emails promising tax refunds and fraudulent security apps to execute NFC relay attacks and steal banking data across Central Europe.

  8. [CRIME] 8 sources
    Slovakia reports energy scams, robbery, and murder plot

    Slovak authorities report multiple criminal activities, including energy company impersonation scams, a robbery by a teenager in Bratislava, and the arrest of two minors for planning a murder.

  9. [CRIME] 2 sources
    Police warn of SMS scams impersonating Západoslovenská energetika

    Slovak police warn of SMS scams impersonating Západoslovenská energetika, using threats of power disconnection to trick victims into revealing payment card details via phishing links.

  10. [CRIME] 2 sources
    Bulgarian bank customers targeted by new wave of financial scams

    Fraudsters in Bulgaria are using sophisticated social engineering via phone and messaging apps to impersonate bank employees and steal savings through psychological pressure and fake security alerts.

  11. [CRIME] 3 sources
    Financial scammers use SMS and phone calls to impersonate banks

    Fraudsters are using SMS spoofing and psychological manipulation via phone calls to impersonate banks and steal financial data and funds through urgent, fake security alerts.

  12. [CRIME] 5 sources
    Croatia: Three women lose 15,800 euros in SMS phishing scam

    Three women in Dalmatia, Croatia, lost a total of 15,800 euros after falling for a phishing scam involving fake SMS messages designed to steal banking credentials.

  13. [CRIME] 3 sources
    Slovenia: Banks warn of rising SMS scams impersonating family members

    The Association of Banks in Slovenia warns of rising SMS scams where fraudsters impersonate family members to request urgent money transfers or financial information.

  14. [TECHNOLOGY] 6 sources
    Cybersecurity alerts issued in Poland over phishing and smishing scams

    Polish authorities and VeloBank are warning of phishing and smishing scams impersonating Play and other institutions to steal financial data and login credentials.

  15. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Czech Banking Association reports 10 billion CZK in attempted fraud

    Czech fraudsters attempted to steal over 10 billion CZK in early 2026, though banks protected 8.1 billion CZK through advanced security and social engineering prevention efforts.

  16. [CRIME] 9 sources
    Montenegro Police warn of phishing emails impersonating officials

    Montenegro's Police Administration warns of phishing emails impersonating Director Lazar Šćepanović and using forged official documents to falsely accuse recipients of crimes.

  17. [CRIME] 2 sources
    Slovakia: Financial fraud warnings and banking fee alerts

    Slovak citizens are warned of phishing SMS scams promising fake tax refunds and the importance of monitoring bank statements for unwanted insurance and service fees.

  18. [CRIME] 3 sources
    Authorities warn of rising phishing and fraud scams in Hungary and Slovakia

    Authorities in Hungary and Slovakia are warning against rising phishing scams involving fake utility messages and fraudulent health insurance refund offers designed to steal personal and banking data.

  19. [CRIME] 9 sources
    Cybercrime surge hits Croatia and Slovenia via phishing

    Police in Croatia and Slovenia warn of rising phishing and investment scams, with victims losing thousands of euros to fraudulent SMS messages and fake banking updates.

  20. [CRIME] 3 sources
    Croatia warns of rising telephone impersonation scams

    Authorities in Croatia are warning of rising telephone scams involving impersonation of doctors, financial advisors, and officials to extort money or steal sensitive personal and banking data.

  21. [CRIME] 14 sources
    Czech and Slovak authorities warn of rising phishing and investment scams

    Police in Czechia and Slovakia warn of rising scams, including phishing SMS about insurance debts, fake investment schemes, and telephone fraud where criminals impersonate social insurance and police officers.

  22. [CRIME] 2 sources
    Spanish police warn of sophisticated SMS banking scams

    Spanish police have warned of a rise in sophisticated smishing scams where fraudulent SMS messages appear in legitimate banking threads to steal credentials and authorize unauthorized charges.

  23. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Czech legal expert advises on banking fraud via phishing SMS

    Legal advice recommends filing police reports for victims of banking phishing scams, noting that banks may deny reimbursement if customers are deemed insufficiently cautious.

  24. [CRIME] 8 sources
    Bank fraud surge prompts new safety advice in Paraguay and Spain

    Bank fraud and phishing are rising in Paraguay and Spain; officials urge strong passwords, two‑factor authentication, vigilance, and prompt reporting to police.

Sources

023.hr · 072info.com · 112-magazin.de · 24hod.sk · 24ur.com · 5min.at · acnews.hu · aktuality.sk · aktuelno.me · baks.hu · bild.de · blesk.cz · blikk.hu · blogspan.net · borba.me · borncity.com · brnenska.drbna.cz · budejcka.drbna.cz · bujanovacke.co.rs · cekin.si · cyberdefence24.pl · dalmacijanews.hr · dan.co.me · deloindom.delo.si · divany.hu · dotyk.cz · eet.denik.cz · ekonomickymagazin.cz · eltijuanense.com · etv.me · ezadar.net.hr · fakenews.rs · fima-vrijednosnice.hr · glob.zoznam.sk · heliport.sk · hercegnovidanas.me · hlavnespravy.sk · hradecka.drbna.cz · icv.hr · index.hr · info.sk · insella.it · isportal.pl · karlovarska.drbna.cz · klodzko.policja.gov.pl · koroskenovice.si · krajskelisty.cz · kurir.rs

This summary has been updated 25 times: see revision history