Sep 6, 2025

Cybersecurity expert Yevhen Shevtsov and the National Police warn: scammers are masquerading as banks to steal your data

Cybersecurity expert Yevhen Shevtsov and the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) are urging citizens to be especially vigilant against phone calls and SMS messages purporting to be from banks. Scammers are increasingly using phone number spoofing to simulate contact from real financial institutions.

“Criminals can call or send messages that look convincing — they indicate the bank’s name, logo, standard phrases, and even use the real bank number. In fact, this is a fraudulent technique aimed at stealing your personal data,” says Yevgeny Shevtsov.

A cybersecurity expert emphasizes: always verify information - call the bank's official number, do not provide PIN codes, CVV or codes from SMS, and do not click on suspicious links in messages.

Yevgeny Shevtsov advises: if you have become a victim of fraudsters or received a suspicious message, contact the Cyber Police and notify your bank. The faster you react, the greater your chances of avoiding losing funds.

However, as a cybersecurity expert notes, Ukrainians who have been victims of bank card fraud can use the chargeback procedure to get their funds back without contacting the police.

"If money was debited by fraudsters via the Internet, the client has the right to initiate a transaction dispute. This procedure allows you to return the funds if the seller turned out to be a fraudster or failed to fulfill their obligations after an online purchase. To start this process, you need to contact the bank that issued your card within 120 days from the moment of the transaction. The bank will conduct its own check, and if it is confirmed that it was fraud, the money can be returned. It is important to know that law enforcement agencies usually do not deal with this - this is the responsibility of banks and payment systems," says Yevgeny Shevtsov, adding that if the card data falls into the hands of fraudsters, it must be blocked immediately, otherwise the theft attempts will continue.