Law enforcement agencies and financial institutions are sounding the alarm about an intensifying wave of cybercrime targeting users of online banking and messaging apps. In recent days, an international money laundering ring has been dismantled and a wave of phishing attacks impersonating well-known brands has occurred. Experts point to Telegram as the fastest-growing source of payment fraud, while Polish banks, including Pekao S.A. and PKO BP, are issuing urgent warnings to their customers.
Dismantling of a Group Laundering Millions
Authorities dismantled a system of cryptocurrency exchange offices and call centers used to launder approximately 20 million PLN originating from investment frauds.
Bank Alert for Customers
Banks Pekao S.A. and PKO BP warn against fake email attachments and attempts to extract login credentials via phone and email.
Telegram a Haven for Fraudsters
The number of payment fraud crimes on this messenger increased by 233% during 2025, surpassing other platforms in terms of growth dynamics.
Frauds on Fuels and Heating
Police warn against fake offers for selling eco-pea coal at promotional prices and investments in fictitious shares of fuel companies.
The end of February 2026 brought a cumulative wave of reports about sophisticated cybercrime operations, encompassing both mass phishing and advanced money laundering. The Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime announced the dismantling of an international structure that used cryptocurrency exchange offices to launder funds originating from online fraud. Investigators estimate the scale of this group's activities at approximately 20 million PLN. Arrests took place, among other places, in Wrocław, where a fake call center operated, manipulating victims under the guise of investing in shares of fuel companies. Simultaneously, the banking sector is grappling with a new campaign of malicious software sent in email attachments. Bank Pekao S.A. issued a statement warning against opening suspicious correspondence, which could lead to account takeover and theft of savings. Similar warnings are coming from Revolut and PKO BP, where criminals are using increasingly subtle methods, including attacks on so-called BLIK codes and impersonating customer service employees. Statistics from the Italian and Spanish markets confirm the global trend: the Telegram platform recorded an increase in payment fraud of over 233% year-on-year, becoming one of the main tools in the hands of cybercriminals alongside Facebook. The phishing method has evolved from simple spelling errors to technically advanced copies of websites that are almost indistinguishable for the average user from the transaction systems of major banks.In addition to systemic attacks, police are reporting numerous cases of social engineering fraud. Victims include seniors losing their life savings after calls from supposed police officers, but also younger people looking for concert tickets or deals on purchasing eco-pea coal. In one of the drastic cases, a resident of Pomerania lost over 200,000 PLN, believing she was participating in an action to secure her account against an attack. Officers from Garwolin have just filed an indictment against a group offering fake investments, showing that despite the scale of the threat, law enforcement is effectively identifying and eliminating individual links in the criminal chain. „Koniec działalności kantorów kryptowalutowych - rozbicie zorganizowanej grupy przestępczej piorącej pieniądze z licznych oszustw” (The end of operations for cryptocurrency exchange offices - dismantling of an organized criminal group laundering money from numerous frauds) — Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime Money laundering using digital assets became a challenge for the global financial system after 2009, forcing the introduction of restrictive anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) procedures.
Perspektywy mediów: Liberal media place greater emphasis on security gaps in banking systems and the need for digital education of citizens as a form of defense against attacks. Conservative media emphasize the need for harsher penalties for cybercriminals and the role of effective actions by police and special services in combating groups.