Before you buy something on a shop's website or app, check that the merchant is trustworthy - especially if it's your first time shopping there.

How you can do this:

• look for reviews from other customers of the shop
• check whether the shop's website mentions a personal data administrator and whether the administrator's address can be found in online maps
• check on independent sites whether the address of the administrator or the shop matches the company name
• check if the prices of the offered goods are not significantly lower than in other stores and auction portals

• Always read notifications with transaction details carefully.
• Don't confirm a payment if something doesn't match.
• Use payment methods you are familiar with.
• When you pay with BLIK, you do not need to enter your payment card details.
• Never enter your bank account login details or your email on the shop website.
• Do not send anyone a photo or scan of your payment card.

Often there are criminals operating on platforms such as OLX, Vinted or Allegro who try to swindle your bank login details, your email inbox or your payment card details. Fraudsters may also impersonate employees of the sales platform.

What might this look like?

• The seller or buyer contacts you outside the platform, e.g. via SMS, email or WhatsApp. Do not discuss the details of the transaction outside the sales portal!
• You receive a fake link that is supposed to ‘confirm’ the transaction. When you go through the link, you are supposed to enter your details (payment card details, PESEL, login details). Do not click on the links that strangers send you and do not download the apps they recommend.
• A scammer may call you and impersonate a bank employee or portal worker. They make up all sorts of stories, such as that a suspicious transaction has been spotted on your bank account; or that you need to confirm your account activation or order a transfer to receive loyalty points. Protect your details, and when a bank employee calls you, verify their identity (ask them to send you a notification on the banking app).
• Regardless of the story presented, the criminal wants to authorise transactions on your account - which they have accessed thanks to data they have previously obtained from you via a fake link. Read notifications with transaction details carefully.

Paying with BLIK is not only convenient and fast, but most importantly safe - if you remember two important rules:

1) Do not give another person your BLIK code or PIN to the app.

2) Before you confirm a BLIK payment, check the notification in the app to make sure everything checks out. If something is wrong, do not authorise the transaction.

This is how criminals can operate:

• A fraudster hacks into a social media profile and texts his victim's friends asking for the BLIK code. So when your friend urgently asks you for your BLIK code - call him or her and confirm that it was indeed him or her who wrote to you. Perhaps his account has been taken over.
• A criminal calls you and impersonates a bank employee. He may convince you that someone has hacked into your account or taken credit on your details. He asks you to enter your BLIK code, e.g. to finalise a transfer or to set up a technical account. Do not give any data and hang up! Remember, our employee will never ask you to enter your BLIK code.
• On the shop page, you want to pay with BLIK, but the form requires you to enter your card details as well. Be careful, this could be a fake page! If you pay with BLIK, do not enter your card details.

If something is worrying you or you know that a fraudster has taken over your data, act immediately.

• Contact the sales portal or call us on the special number 22 598 44 44 (charge according to the operator's price list)
• Block your card in the app if you are concerned that your card details may have been taken over
• Change your transaction limits - this can help prevent money from being taken out of your account if a fraudster gets hold of it
• Change the PIN for the app - you do this on screen before logging in
• In Millenet, you can check on which devices your app is installed and disable access to it