She believed the call was from the bank. The money was gone.

When the phone rang, she had no idea it was the beginning of a very unpleasant experience. A 36-year-old resident of our district received a call from a man posing as a bank employee.

The man spoke calmly and matter-of-factly—as consultants do. He explained that suspicious transactions had been detected in her account and everything pointed to attempted fraud. He sounded serious.

The supposed banker informed me that my money was at risk and that I needed to file a complaint immediately. He provided an email address, forwarded the call to the "complaints department," and assured me that if I didn't take quick action, I could lose all my money. The next man who answered the phone confirmed: accounts and cards would be blocked, but this could be prevented.

The stressed woman followed the instructions. Step by step, she entered her data, confirmed transfers, and transferred funds to the so-called "technical account." She had been told this was a safe and temporary solution. Manipulated and confused, she believed she was protecting her savings. The scammer even provided a hotline number to call to unblock the new account.

As she did so, a voice spoke, this time truly belonging to a bank employee. The words she heard were like a bucket of cold water: "You have been defrauded." Nearly 22,000 złoty had disappeared from her account.