phishing
Also called: phishing link, phishing site
A fake message or website that copies a bank, a shop or a state service to make people enter card details, codes or passwords.
Phishing is a fake page or message dressed up as someone you trust. The text creates a reason to act now, such as aid you've been granted, a parcel on hold or a blocked card, and the link opens a copy of a real site that asks for the card number, the three digits on the back, a one-time code or a banking password.
As of 2026, fake messages about social payments and aid leading to such sites are on the National Bank's list of the most common fraud schemes in Ukraine, and copies of state services and chatbots appeared after missile strikes too. A copy can look perfect: the emblem, the colours and the wording are easy to fake.
The defence is about the route, not the look. Open the bank's or the service's site or app yourself, never through a link from a message, and remember that receiving money never needs the card's secret details or a code. If you've already entered them, call the bank on the number printed on your card to block it, then report it.
Example
Dana's mother gets a message: “You have been granted a payment. Follow the link to receive it.” The page looks like a state service and asks for her card number, the three digits on the back and the SMS code “to credit the money”. Dana's family rule card says: no codes or card back digits to anyone, no links about payments, check by calling the bank on the number on the card.
Common mistakes
- Trusting the design. An official look proves nothing.
- Giving “only” the card number. Even part of the data helps the next step of the scam.
- Replying to check. A reply confirms your number is active.
Learn it in the course
- Phone scams: calls, codes and fake platforms · How phone scams work: the scripts fraudsters use, the rules that stop them, and what to do in the first hour if you've been scammed.