Criminal law / 22.02.2022

Fraudulent transfers in Poland 2021

Fraudulent transfers grew to PLN 32 million in Poland

During last year’s vacations criminals transferred a record amount of money from bank accounts of Polish customers. The number of fraudulent transfers was also the highest in history. To execute the fraudulent transfers, they usually hacked into Internet banking, using deception or malicious software.

NBP data show that in Q3 2021 the phenomenon of fraudulent transactions using credit transfers intensified. It concerns both their number and value.

Record number of money thefts from bank accounts

From July to September last year, banks in Poland registered 7709 illegal transfers. In comparison with the same period of the previous year, this means an almost twofold increase (from 3965).

The amount of all fraudulent transfers amounted to PLN 31.95 million. This is the highest in the history of statistics collection by the central bank.

In annual terms, the amount moved out increased by 80 percent. However, the average value of a single transfer decreased by 35 percent – to PLN 4144.

Despite the larger scale of fraudulent transfers, their share in non-cash transfers in the Polish banking system remains inappreciable. During last year’s vacations they represented 0.00103 percent of all transfers and 0.00016 percent of their value.

Instead, the share of fraudulent transfers in all fraudulent non-cash transactions, which include account transfers and payment card operations, has once again increased. In Q3 2021, the former accounted for 11.4 percent of payment fraud cases. A quarter earlier it was 8.1 percent, and a year earlier – 5.8 percent of the number of crimes of this type.

The funds stolen this way oscillate around 60 percent of the amounts moved out each quarter. This level remains stable.

Fraudulent online banking transfers in Poland

As in previous periods, fraudulent transfers were most often carried out from an Internet browser. This is how criminals completed 58 percent of transfers, which accounted for three-quarters of the value of the funds moved out.

In both cases, the share of online banking in fraudulent transfers decreased in favor of applications. A year ago it reached 90% of frauds. The share of other methods of withdrawing funds by wire transfer (branch, phone, other) did not exceed 1% of cases.

How do criminals execute fraudulent transfers from customer accounts? Most often, they gain access to their accounts as a result of infecting the device or use a trick that allows them to obtain login details from the owners. Then they transfer the funds.