OTP Bank has released a short‑film series titled Kiberbűnök Krónikája (Chronicles of Cybercrimes) on YouTube to highlight that modern bank IT systems are increasingly difficult to breach, so cybercriminals now concentrate on psychological manipulation of people. The series was presented at a press event.
How attackers operate
At the event Sonjic László, senior advisor at OTP Bank’s security directorate, said that rapid advances in artificial intelligence have made attacks frighteningly convincing: fraudsters use polished language as well as artificially generated voices and images to deceive victims. They analyze victims’ digital footprints to build individualized profiles, then exploit human traits — compliance, willingness to help, or reactions to sudden crises — using tailored stories, urgency or pressure to persuade people to transfer money.
Sonjic noted that in three quarters of cases the victim is induced to make the transfer themselves, with an average amount of HUF 1.4 million per incident.
Scale of the problem
Quoting data from the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB), Sonjic said that in the second quarter of 2026 the total value of successful transfer‑based frauds in the corporate and retail sectors reached HUF 5.4 billion.
Common techniques
The event summarized the most frequent methods used in these bank frauds:
- psychological manipulation (perpetrators impersonate bank staff, police officers or other officials)
- obtaining direct access to bank user accounts
- phishing with fake bank messages, emails or websites
Attackers often ask victims by phone or email to transfer funds themselves to an allegedly secure account; in other cases they trick victims into installing remote‑access apps or providing login and authentication data, then initiate transactions directly from compromised accounts.
Film industry engagement and prevention
Film directors were invited to the press event. Nyitrai Marci, director of Kiberbűnök Krónikája, attended alongside Oscar‑winner Deák Kristóf, whose film Unoka depicts the real‑life swindling of his grandfather, and Tasnádi István, whose recent thriller Az Örökség explores romance scams targeting the elderly. All these works draw on actual police cases.
Participants agreed that the entertainment industry can play a significant role in raising awareness by reaching broader audiences than traditional prevention campaigns. Deák Kristóf emphasized that social victim‑blaming and the associated shame complicate victims’ recovery; his film aimed to educate without becoming didactic, and to counter the stigma faced by victims.
Practical advice: stay calm and verify
Experts and filmmakers agreed that attackers exploit basic human instincts such as fear and desire, so the primary defensive measures are healthy skepticism and keeping one’s composure. Sonjic advised treating suspicious online approaches as one would an unknown visitor at the door: break contact if pressured, then independently verify the claim by contacting the bank or family member through official channels.
He warned that anyone can be a victim and that certain generations and social groups are more exposed due to lack of technological knowledge. Reducing that gap requires education and family or community support — for example, shared chat groups where older relatives can post screenshots of suspicious messages, or using a private family passphrase.
OTP Bank also promotes technical protections: two‑factor authentication, setting transaction limits, call‑time verification to confirm the caller’s identity, notifications for transactions, digitalizing bank cards for payments, and requiring a second approver for larger transfers.
The publication of this article was supported by OTP Bank.
