Banking Fraud Becomes More Frequent
Banking fraud is becoming more frequent, leading to an alarming rise in complaints received by the specialised centre for alternative dispute resolution in the financial sector. Throughout this year, consumers have filed over 170 complaints with CSALB, the institution that mediates conflicts between clients and banks, all related to fraud schemes carried out through digital banking channels. Most of these complaints describe situations where victims remained in debt to credit institutions after cybercriminals took out loans in their names. In many documented cases, defrauded individuals allowed strangers to access their passwords, confidential data, or even personal devices and home banking applications. In addition to these scenarios, CSALB also analyses cases where consumers took out loans themselves, then transferred the funds to unknown accounts in an attempt to purchase crypto assets, stocks, or to cover other debts and alleged frauds.
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OneSpan Unveils New e‑Signature Features Including Identity Wallets and AI Workflow SupportIn their negotiation requests with banks, clients detail complex fraud schemes, with losses reaching up to 20,000 euros in the cases examined by CSALB. Unfortunately, in most situations, banks refuse to accept these conciliation requests through CSALB. The main reason cited is that the described cases are already under criminal investigation by the police, and also because the perpetrators did not break the banks’ security systems; instead, they accessed the accounts with the direct help of the account holders. Selected cases from the complaints received by CSALB use fictitious names to protect consumers’ identities, while the mentioned localities (counties) are real. Presenting these situations aims to prevent future fraud attempts by describing the methods used by hackers. All these complaints have been closed or rejected by banks.
Adriana H.’s Experience in Bucharest
Adriana H., from Bucharest, said: I was a victim of a cyberattack involving malware, which allowed remote control of my phone through an app installed via WhatsApp. Initially, the fraudsters opened an online bank account in my name, then applied for a loan of 29,000 lei in my name. They told me the money was mine and that I could use it. I requested cancellation of the loan the next day, reported the case to the police, and notified the bank, initially by phone, then in writing. The fraudsters also accessed my accounts, from which they stole 90,000 lei. Half of this amount was in an account for which I was an authorised representative and belonged to others; the rest came from my personal account. The funds were withdrawn through a series of successive transactions to bypass security limits.
All communication with the fraudsters took place via WhatsApp and on the phone, and in some cases these conversations lasted more than four hours. The bank’s response: Payments and transactions from the consumer’s accounts were carried out via the home banking application, in compliance with customer authentication requirements, by entering the security code set when activating the app or by using the phone’s biometric authentication. Regarding transactions made on the account for which the defrauded person was an authorised representative, the funds corresponding to these payments were transferred to the user’s personal account and subsequently used. The bank carried out all transfers in accordance with the instructions received. According to the law, a payment order is considered correctly executed if it is carried out in line with the IBAN indicated by the payer.
Ion R.’s Story from Ilfov County
Ion R., from Ilfov County, said: „I was called by a fraudster who claimed to be an employee of a commercial bank and told me that someone had used my personal data to apply for a personal loan. When I said I had not requested it, he connected me with another person who claimed to be from the police. This person then directed me to yet another person who said they were from the National Bank of Romania. This last person told me I needed to take out a loan of approximately 100,000 lei from the bank, withdraw the cash, and use it to buy crypto assets from a crypto ATM. I deposited 10,000 lei in the ATM as instructed, and requested proof of deposit for each amount. After I deposited the full sum, I was told to call two phone numbers to approve the transactions.”
Mihai U.’s Explanation from Prahova
Mădălina E., from Iași, stated: „I was a victim of a complex banking fraud and identity theft, resulting in a personal loan taken out in my name in June 2026. My consent was compromised, and the funds were immediately transferred to external accounts for the purpose of money laundering. The loan was obtained through psychological manipulation and identity theft. There is an ongoing police investigation. I notified the bank and the National Directorate for Cyber Security (DNSC). Given the above, I request the immediate suspension or cancellation of the obligation to pay the instalments related to this loan until the criminal investigation is completed. I also request that payment delays not be reported to the Credit Bureau, considering the fraudulent nature of the loan agreement.”
Mihai U., from Prahova, explained: Between March and September, relying on a friendship with a person who used a false name and claimed to be a lawyer, I handed over control of my mobile phone to this person. This person accessed my home banking applications and gained access to my accounts held at three commercial banks. Then they requested the issuance of a credit card from one of these banks and carried out several unauthorised transactions, causing me losses of over 15,000 lei. The bank demands that I repay the loan, claiming that access was authorised by
