The findings show that victims come from a broad range of age groups, educational backgrounds and locations.

The survey found that 49% of adults had personally experienced an attempted scam. While 33% of all respondents said the attempt had failed, 16% reported financial losses.

Among those who lost money, 57% lost less than HUF 50,000, while one-third lost more than HUF 100,000. One in 20 victims reported losses exceeding HUF 1 million.

Telephone calls were the most frequently reported channel, cited by 41% of those targeted. Email followed at 40%, fake websites at 34%, text messages at 32% and social media platforms at 31%.

Scammers most commonly impersonated representatives of service providers or public authorities, reported by 35% of those targeted, or bank employees, cited by 34%. Some 17% encountered attempts involving a fabricated romantic relationship, while 8% were approached with claims that a family member or close friend was in trouble.

Victims Across Demographic Groups

The proportion reporting financial losses was 17% among both university graduates and respondents with only primary education. It stood at 18% among Budapest residents and 17% among those living in villages.

By age, 19% of respondents older than 60 reported a successful scam, compared with 16% of those ages 18-39.

Younger victims were more likely to report substantial losses. Among victims ages 18-39, 33% lost between HUF 500,000 and HUF 1 million, compared with 17% of victims overall.

Around two-thirds of respondents who had encountered a fraud attempt recognized the danger and prevented a loss.

Requests for passwords, identification credentials or PINs were considered suspicious by 70% of respondents. Poor Hungarian and spelling mistakes raised concern among 68%, followed by requests to download software at 61% and an urgent tone at 59%.

However, only 36% considered a request for money from a new Facebook acquaintance suspicious, suggesting lower awareness of scams built around personal relationships.

Trust Brings Responsibility

Respondents most frequently identified public authorities as trustworthy sources of information on cyberfraud, at 59%, followed by cybersecurity experts at 54% and banks at 52%. Some 13% also regarded artificial intelligence as a reliable source.

“This trust is an honor, but it also means greater responsibility for us. That is why we try to draw attention to the risks and what people should do in every possible way — during face-to-face interactions at bank branches, on our online platforms and on social media. The data show that, fortunately, many people already recognize phrases that should raise suspicion, but fraudsters are constantly devising new methods, so we must always stay up to date,” said Csaba Márton Galló, CIB Bank’s head of security, fraud prevention and business continuity.

Galló urged customers never to disclose banking credentials, passwords or PINs over the phone or in messages, and to reject requests to transfer money to a supposed “safe account.”

Anyone receiving a suspicious call should hang up and contact their bank through its official customer service number, he said. Customers who suspect fraud should notify their bank immediately and report the incident to police.

The survey was conducted by Magyar Target-Pulzus Média Kutató using the Pulzus research app between Sept. 29 and Oct. 9, 2026. It involved 1,000 respondents and was representative of Hungary’s adult population by gender, age, education and settlement type.