Messenger shows a brother, a friend, or a neighbour. The account looks normal: the photo matches, the friends match. The text is short. A blocked bank, a spent limit, an order that has to be paid right now. “Send a BLIK code, I’ll pay you back tonight.”
BLIK is a Polish payment code from a banking app. Often the person writing is not the account owner. Someone got into their Facebook account and sent the same request to all their friends. Sometimes they open a new account with someone else’s photo. The request sounds the same either way.
What the conversation looks like
The messages below are put together from cases the Polish police describe. They are not copied from one conversation, but the order is typical.
“Brother”: Hey, you there?
You: Yes, what’s up?
“Brother”: Quick favour. I ordered something online and have to pay now, but my bank limit ran out. Can you send me a BLIK code for 600 zł? I’ll pay you back tonight.
The first message is empty because it only checks whether someone replies. The amount is often small, so the request does not sound alarming.
You: Sure, here: 482 915
“Brother”: Thanks! Ugh, the payment got declined. Can you send another?
The code worked. The money has already gone, most often from a cash machine in another town. “Declined” is the excuse for the next code. Police in Zamość described a man who sent his “brother” several codes this way, 1,700 zł in total.
“Brother”: Can’t talk right now, I’m at work. Just send the code.
When you ask for a call, the scammer always has a reason not to pick up. A real brother usually calls himself, or writes “ok, calling you”.
Other versions of the same request
The words change, the method stays:
- “Pay for my parcel” — the courier is waiting and “the banking app is down”.
- “I urgently need money for the doctor” — a sudden emergency, so there is no time to think.
- “Vote for me in a contest” — a link to a page that looks like a Facebook login. This is often how the next accounts get taken over.
- “Tell me the code you just got by text” — that code is for your account, not theirs. Once you give it, you lose your Facebook.
The photo confirms nothing
The photo, mutual friends, and an old account decide nothing if the person typing is sitting on someone else’s Facebook. They can also read your old conversation, so they can write “like always”.
A phone call decides it, to a number you already had saved. Not to a number they just sent in the chat. One sentence: “are you the one asking for money?”
Do not create the code until that call happens. Do not send a Facebook password or a text-message code either. A person who really needs help will wait for the phone.
When your friend really is in trouble
It is worth warning the friend too. If their account was taken over, it is probably writing to everyone on their list right now. Call them and tell them someone is writing in their name.
A short list to tick off is in the “friend” message checklist. If the code already went out, the next steps are in the first minutes after a code.