New security button in mBank. With one move you block transfers, Blik, card and withdrawals

mBank activates the “Turn on transaction block” function in the application, which acts as a financial emergency brake. It allows you to immediately stop transfers, Blik and card payments and cash withdrawals, without losing access to your account. The bank responds to the growing scale of fraud attempts. This is the first such solution on the market.

mBank informs that it is the first bank in Poland to provide the “Turn on transaction block” function in its mobile application. It is intended to enable quick blocking of transfers, Blik payments, card payments and cash withdrawals. At the same time, the user must maintain access to the account. The bank also emphasizes that previously planned operations are to be carried out according to schedule. The new function is a response to the growing scale of fraud attempts.

This is confirmed not only by police statistics, but also by user experience. In the study “Social awareness and the scale of occurrence of various fraud methods”, 87% of respondents declared that they had been exposed to fraud attempts. 11% admitted that they lost money. Most often, these were amounts up to PLN 500, although 22% of the injured persons indicated losses exceeding PLN 2,000. zloty.

Another digital security

ARC data shows that 57% of Poles trust banks the most. This is more than the police (44%) or traditional media (29%). mBank directly links this to the belief that financial institutions should provide not only warnings, but also practical tools to increase security.

Jarosław Górski, director of the security department at mBank, enumerates that customers can already use the application, among others: block your identity document, temporarily block your card, control transaction limits or disconnect the application from your account. The bank has also implemented a tool to confirm employee identity and contextual warnings to stop the user from making dangerous decisions.

Why do we allow ourselves to be deceived?

The study results show a strong emotional component. Almost half of the respondents remember a specific situation related to an attempted fraud, and 25% declare that there were several such events. Negative emotions dominate. The respondents most often indicated anger and irritation, nervousness, surprise and fear. Only 24% reported being calm and composed.

Psychologist Dorota Minta points out that fraudsters play on time pressure, authority and fear. In her opinion, the most effective defense begins with taking time to think. In practice, this means verifying requests through another channel and not providing confidential data, and in case of doubt, stopping the possibility of executing the transaction.

Education and tools

mBank reminds that it has been conducting educational activities on digital security for years. It also points to additional solutions, such as 24/7 assistance from specialists within the CyberRescue service and the ability to check in the application whether an actual bank employee is calling.

Magdalena Korona, cybersecurity expert at mBank, emphasizes that transaction blocking is to be another element of building customers' resistance to changing criminal methods.

What can the new lockdown change?

From the user's perspective, simplicity and speed of response seem to be key. If a customer realizes that he or she may be the target of fraud, the ability to immediately suspend transfers, Blik, cards and withdrawals can reduce the risk of losses. These types of features are not a substitute for caution, but they can give you additional time to assess the situation.

In a reality in which most Poles declare contact with fraud attempts, solutions that allow you to quickly “stop” money may become an important complement to education and standard banking security.

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