Money has disappeared from your account. How do you report an unauthorised transaction?

If you see a payment you did not order or consent to, contact your bank immediately through its official channel. Secure access to your account and report the unauthorised transaction. Do not wait for the police investigation to end or for every attachment to be collected before notifying the bank.

Updated: 20 October 2026. This guide concerns suspected unauthorised payments. Complaints about fees, credit-agreement disputes and transfers knowingly ordered to a dishonest seller require separate assessment.

1. Call a bank number you find independently on its website or in its app. Do not use a number supplied by the caller.

2. Explain what happened. Ask for appropriate protection of your card, online banking and active access permissions.

3. Give the date, amount and identifier of the suspicious transaction. Keep the confirmation and reference number.

4. If you suspect a crime, notify the police or prosecutor's office. Keep your correspondence with the perpetrator.

The Financial Ombudsman recommends contacting the bank promptly and making a complaint if money has been lost. It also notes that chargeback may be available for eligible card transactions. Chargeback does not apply to every payment method or guarantee a refund. Source: Financial Ombudsman, information on data leaks and card blocking.

For an unauthorised transaction, the general rule is a refund by the end of the next working day after discovery or notification. In its announcement of 15 October 2026, the Financial Ombudsman explains that alleging gross negligence does not by itself justify withholding a refund. It identifies an exception involving documented suspicion of customer fraud reported to law enforcement in writing. D+1 reimbursement must be distinguished from the later determination of the parties' liability. Source: RF, announcement of 15.10.2026.

This does not mean a bank is automatically liable for every transfer following a scam. First establish what the customer actually ordered and consented to.

Describe events chronologically: how the incident began, what messages you received, what you did and when you noticed the loss. Separate facts from assumptions. Identify the disputed payments and your request, such as repayment of a specific amount and an explanation of the grounds for refusal.

Use of a code or app alone does not settle the assessment of the customer's consent. The Financial Ombudsman highlighted this on 22 September 2026 when discussing judgments involving manipulation and loans taken out electronically. Source: RF, case-law analysis.

• account history and transaction confirmations;

• SMS messages, emails, website addresses and telephone numbers connected with the incident;

• your complaint, proof of submission and the bank's reply;

• confirmation of notification to law enforcement, if made;

• documents concerning any loan initiated during the incident.

Do not send anyone passwords or authorisation codes. Do not publicly attach an ID scan to your initial case description.

Under stress, several events can easily merge into one. Yet the conversation with a scammer, takeover of online banking, creation of a loan and withdrawal of money may need separate descriptions. Record each disputed transaction: date, amount, currency, recipient and identifier. Alongside it, note when you noticed it and notified the bank. Do not guess missing details; state what remains unknown.

The second list should show your own actions. Did you provide card details? What exactly did the authorisation message say? Did you install an app while someone watched your screen? Do not state that you approved nothing if you remember approving a message. Describe its wording and the circumstances. An accurate reconstruction helps assess consent to a particular payment; a stock phrase cannot replace the facts.

A caller claims to work for your bank and tells you to “secure your funds”. Afterwards you see an unfamiliar transfer and a new loan. Do not assume a complaint about the transfer also resolves the loan. Identify both events, link them chronologically and ask for each to be explained. If you ordered the transfer yourself to the specified recipient, describe that too. Assessment may differ from a transaction carried out without your involvement.

This illustrates how to organise information, not who is liable in a specific case. That is why showing what happened on your account and device matters more than simply using the label “phishing”.

1. Account and transactions. Provide details enabling the bank to identify the case and a list of disputed payments.

2. Sequence of events. Describe contact with the perpetrator and your own actions chronologically; separate what you remember from assumptions.

3. Notifications. Give the date of contact with the bank, the reference number and details of any notification already made to the authorities.

4. Request and questions. Explain the settlement you seek and which circumstances the bank should clarify. If it refuses, ask for specific reasons.

5. Attachments. Attach organised copies of relevant documents, keeping the originals.

Do not delay the initial bank notification while preparing a perfect letter. An organised complaint and further documents can supplement the earlier report. Record what you provided, when, and what confirmation you received.

Check whether the response addresses all identified transactions and your actual account. Mark separately what the bank established, the evidence it cites and its grounds for refusal. If the reasons focus only on use of a code or a logged-in device, compare them with your description of consent to the particular transaction. The Financial Ombudsman's positions cited above help explain this distinction; they do not automatically assess your evidence.

Further assessment needs the full set: initial notification, complaint, proof of submission, response and any supplements. Once the complaint process ends, check the appropriate RF assistance route. If the reply omits important facts, identify the gaps specifically rather than sending the identical description again.

Do not send contradictory accounts or delete correspondence with the perpetrator. Do not publish statements containing full personal details in open groups. For an initial conversation, prepare a short chronology, disputed amount, payment type and whether the bank has replied. Ask for a secure way to provide detailed documents.

Have a refusal but do not know which sentence matters? Describe the case to PGW. Organising the documents helps establish the possible scope of further service, without promising that every payment can be recovered.

The bank refused. Is the case over?

No. The reasons and documents can be analysed, and appropriate Financial Ombudsman assistance may be available after the complaint. An appeal alone does not guarantee a different decision. RF: when to seek help.

Should I wait 30 days for the money?

The deadline for responding to a complaint is not the same as D+1. Payment-service complaints generally have a response deadline of 15 working days, or up to 35 working days in particularly complex cases. RF: complaint rules, educational material.

Does this guide cover refunds of credit costs?

No. Cost refunds, incorrect interest and contractual settlements are different types of claims. A ready-made complaint about an unauthorised transaction should not replace analysis of the agreement.

PGW can help organise documents and establish the scope of further service following assessment. Terms are agreed individually, without promising a refund. Office: ul. Gwiaździsta 6/5, 53-413 Wrocław, by appointment. Online service throughout Poland. Telephone/WhatsApp: +48 720 13 14 15, email: kontakt@e-pgw.pl, www.e-pgw.pl.

PGW is not a law firm. Activities reserved to legal professions are performed by authorised advocates and Polish legal advisers.

See also: what to do after online fraud oraz fake cryptocurrency investments.