How to Recognise a Fake Bank Login Page

How to recognise a fake (phishing) bank login page

Sometimes you get an email, or you see an advert online, with a link that supposedly leads to your bank's page. The page looks familiar — the same colours, the same logo. But it might be a fake made by scammers to steal your username and password. This is called phishing — "fishing" for your login details. This guide will show you, step by step, how to check that a login page is genuine before you type anything into it. Don't worry — it's really simple once you know what to look for.

What is a "web address"?

Every website has its own address — sometimes called a "URL". This is the string of letters you see right at the top of your browser, in a narrow bar. A browser is the program you use to open websites — on a computer this is, for example, Chrome or Edge; on a phone it is also Chrome or Safari.

Your bank's address always looks the same and always starts with the bank's name, for example www.pkobp.pl or www.mbank.pl. Scammers create addresses that look very similar but are not identical — for example with an extra letter, or a different ending, like .pl.com instead of .pl.

What is the "padlock"?

Next to the website address, in that same narrow bar at the top, there should be a small padlock — a symbol of a locked padlock. It means the connection to the page is encrypted, so no one else can see what you type. Note: the padlock alone does not mean the page belongs to your real bank — scammers can have one on their fake page too. The padlock is only one thing to check, not the only one.

Never click a login link in an email or a text message, even if it looks like it is from your bank.
Open your web browser yourself, the way you always do.
Type your bank's address by hand, letter by letter, for example www.yourbank.com.
Look carefully for any strange extra characters or spelling mistakes in the address.
If you already have your bank's address saved as a "bookmark" (a saved favourite page), use that bookmark instead of typing the address again.
Wait for the page to finish loading.
Look at the narrow bar at the top of your browser.
Find the small padlock in it.
Tap or click the padlock to see the details.
Check that it shows information about a secure connection and your bank's name.
Check that the logo and colours on the page look the way they always have before.
Only now, type your username.
Finally, type your password.

If anything makes you unsure at any step — simply close the page. Nothing bad will happen. You can always try again from the beginning.

A few more warning signs

The page asks for details your bank would never normally ask for on a login screen, such as your full card number together with the security code on the back of it.
The page looks slightly different from usual — different colours, different fonts, spelling mistakes in the text.
The page rushes you, telling you to act "immediately" or your account will "be blocked".
You reached the login page through a search engine advert, rather than because you typed the bank's address yourself.

None of these signs alone has to mean fraud, but if you notice even one — stop and do not log in.

What to do if something goes wrong

If you suspect you have already typed your username and password into a fake page — don't panic, but act quickly.

Call your bank immediately on the number printed on the back of your payment card — never a number found on a suspicious page.
Ask the bank's staff to block access to your account and change your password.
If possible, change your password yourself from another, trusted device — for example a trusted family member's computer.
Never give anyone a one-time SMS code over the phone, even if the caller claims to be "from the bank" — a real bank never asks for this.
If someone calls you and rushes to "help" after this happened — hang up and call back yourself using the number on your card.

Remember: a mistake can happen to anyone, even to people who have used computers for years. What matters is what you do right afterwards.

Summary — remember these steps

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