The phone rings and a familiar voice is in distress - or a text message announces a parcel that only needs a small fee. In 2026, such scam attempts are more professional than they have been for a long time: artificial intelligence can recreate voices with uncanny accuracy, fake bank and parcel messages look like the original, and phishing emails copy the layout of well-known senders. According to the Cybersicherheitsmonitor 2026, one in ten people (BSI) fell victim to an online crime in the previous year alone, 12 percent (BSI) of those affected experienced phishing, and one third (BSI) report financial losses. The good news: almost all scams follow a few patterns you can spot calmly and without fear. This guide shows the warning signs, how to verify a genuine sender, how to stay safe with online banking and what to do if the worst happens - and how we practise scam protection with you in the privacy course on your own device.
Key takeaways
- In 2026 scams are getting more professional: AI voices, fake bank and parcel SMS and convincing phishing emails raise the pressure - yet they remain recognisable.
- The most important rule is calm: pausing for a moment when faced with urgency, a threat or a request for a TAN and password takes the ground from under the scam.
- You verify a genuine sender via the known route - the app or the phone number on the back of your bank card - not via links or callback numbers from the message.
- For online banking, two-factor approval protects you, and reputable institutions do not, as a rule, ask for a TAN or PIN over the phone.
- For fake calls and the grandchild scam the police advice applies: hang up, take a breath and call the person back on your own saved number.
- We set up scam protection at your home - securing accounts and online banking, activating spam and call filters and practising recognition together.
Why scams are getting more professional in 2026
Online fraud is no longer a marginal phenomenon. The Cybersicherheitsmonitor 2026, for which the BSI and the police survey more than 3,000 people (BSI) aged 16 and over each year, shows it clearly: one in ten people (BSI) was affected in the previous year alone. Among those affected, 88 percent (BSI) report damage, and one third (BSI) suffered financial losses. So the topic does not just concern other people, but statistically almost every household.
What is new above all is the quality of the fakes. Where clumsy language and obvious mistakes used to warn us, artificial intelligence now helps to recreate voices, texts and entire websites. The Cybersicherheitsmonitor shows how unfamiliar this still is: only 28 percent (BSI) of respondents have deliberately looked for inconsistencies in potentially AI-generated content. Criminals exploit exactly this gap - with voices that sound like a grandchild and emails that look like they come from your own bank.
Uncannily real voices
AI recreates voices from a few seconds of audio, so a call sounds like a close relative in distress.
Flawless copies
Logos, salutation and layout of known senders are copied exactly; the language errors that used to give scams away are increasingly gone.
Targeted, not scattergun
From publicly visible data, offenders build personal stories that seem more credible than the old mass mailings.
The most common scams at a glance
Fraud has many faces, but some scams appear especially often. In the Cybersicherheitsmonitor 2026, those affected name online shopping fraud first at 22 percent (BSI), followed by unauthorised access to an online account at 14 percent (BSI), online banking fraud at 13 percent (BSI) and phishing at 12 percent (BSI). On the phone, the grandchild scam adds to this in its modern, AI-supported form. The Polizeiliche Kriminalprävention warns that criminals now imitate relatives' voices with artificial intelligence to increase emotional pressure (Polizeiliche Kriminalprävention).
Phishing email
An email in the name of a bank, payment service or authority leads via a link to a rebuilt site that harvests your credentials.
Fake SMS (smishing)
A short text about a parcel, account or invoice pushes you to click a link - the path to malware or data theft.
AI fake call
An artificially generated voice poses as a relative or official and describes an emergency that pushes for quick action.
Grandchild and shock call
On the phone an accident, bail or imprisonment is invented to coax out money or valuables under time pressure.
Fake bank warning
Supposed security notices demand immediate confirmation and try to capture a TAN, PIN or password.
Parcel and customs scam
A message claims an outstanding fee for a shipment and redirects you to a fake payment page.
Recognising the warning signs - five patterns
As different as the scams look, their inner blueprint is similar. As a rule, the aim is to trigger a strong feeling - fear, time pressure or anticipation - so that thinking briefly switches off. Anyone who knows the five typical patterns often unmasks a scam attempt within the first few seconds. It is worth going through these points calmly once and keeping them in mind in everyday life.
- Urgency and threats: phrases like 'account blocked', 'final reminder' or 'act now' are meant to push you into a quick, thoughtless reaction.
- An unusual request: being asked to reveal a TAN, PIN, password or a payment that a reputable body would not demand this way.
- Unknown sender or a strange address: a slightly altered email address or an unfamiliar number behind a familiar name.
- Links instead of known routes: a button or link in the message leads to a rebuilt site rather than your usual app.
- Details that do not fit: a missing personal salutation, unusual language or a request that matches no real order.
One click can get expensive
Verifying the real sender
The most effective countermeasure is also the simplest: pause for a moment and verify the sender via a known route you choose yourself - not via the number or link from the message. You check a supposed parcel notification in the official app of the delivery service or against your order confirmation, and a bank message via the banking app or the phone number on the back of your card. The Verbraucherzentrale explicitly advises always opening accounts via the known route and not entering credentials on pages reached via a link from an unexpected message (Verbraucherzentrale).
For emails, it helps to look at the full sender address, not just the displayed name. Often a reputable-sounding name hides a cryptic or slightly altered address. The address bar in the browser also reveals a lot: a genuine bank site has a known, correctly spelled address, not a strange extra ending. If in doubt, type the address yourself or use a saved bookmark. If needed, we practise these steps together on your device in the email course at home.
| Situation | Verify safely | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Bank message | Open the banking app or call the number on your card | Tapping the link in the message |
| Parcel SMS | Check the shipment in the official app or order confirmation | Paying a fee via the SMS link |
| Email sender | Expand the sender address fully and read it carefully | Trusting only the displayed name |
| Call with time pressure | Hang up and call back on the saved number | Giving out data or codes on the phone |
| Login page | Type the address yourself or use a bookmark | Entering credentials via a message link |
Staying safe with online banking
When money is involved, care pays off most. 13 percent (BSI) of those affected in the Cybersicherheitsmonitor experienced online banking fraud. The most effective protection is two-factor approval: every transfer is additionally confirmed via a second device or app, so an intercepted password alone is not enough. So far, only 40 percent (BSI) of respondents use two-factor authentication at all - there is a lot of unused protection here.
A simple rule of thumb protects against many scams: reputable banks do not, as a rule, ask on the phone for your TAN, PIN or password, and they do not ask you to transfer money to another account 'for security'. Anyone asked for this on the phone is dealing with a scam attempt. In addition, a separate, long password for each service helps - only 46 percent (BSI) of respondents consistently use strong passwords. A password manager takes the remembering off your hands. In our online banking course at home we go through these steps calmly on your own device.
Your TAN belongs to no one on the phone
- Activate two-factor approval for online banking so a password alone is not enough.
- Open the banking site via the app or an address you typed yourself, not via links from email or SMS.
- Do not give out a TAN, PIN or password on the phone - not even for supposed security checks.
- Review account movements regularly and report unusual debits to the bank at once.
- Use a separate, long password for every important account and keep it in a password manager.
Fake calls and the grandchild scam
On the phone the pressure is greatest. In a shock call, offenders pose as relatives, police officers or lawyers and describe an invented emergency - an accident, bail, an imminent prison term. What is new is that, thanks to artificial intelligence, the voice can sound like that of a daughter, son or grandchild. In such cases the Polizeiliche Kriminalprävention advises a clear, calm reaction: stay sceptical, do not let yourself be unsettled and, when in doubt, hang up at once (Polizeiliche Kriminalprävention). Why voices are so easy to recreate today is something we explain clearly in the article AI in everyday life at home.
The best protection against shock calls is simple: hang up immediately.
After hanging up, a second contact route you choose yourself helps: call the person back on the number you know and have saved - not on a callback number from the call. An agreed code word in the family unmasks a fake voice at once. And decisions about money or valuables are made calmly, not under time pressure on the phone. Talk these rules through calmly with older relatives so they hold up when it matters.
Calm beats speed
What to do in an emergency
Despite all caution, you may fall for a scam - the fakes are designed for it. Then speed matters most: the faster you react, the better the damage can be limited. These steps help you keep a clear head and do the right thing.
- Stay calm and break off contact at once: end the call, close the page, give away no more data.
- Inform your bank: if you suspect account access, call the bank on the known number and have cards or the account blocked.
- Change passwords: secure the affected accounts anew via the known route and activate two-factor approval.
- Secure evidence: keep the message, number and screenshots - a good backup of your photos and data helps you lose nothing if the worst happens.
- File a report: report the incident to the police - every report helps to recognise patterns.
- Warn those around you: briefly inform family and neighbours so the same scam does not work a second time.
It is important not to be ashamed of a mistake. The scams hit experienced and inexperienced users alike. If you are unsure which steps apply in your case, reach us without a hold queue and we will go through the next steps together.
How we set up scam protection at your home
Knowledge protects, but only the right setup makes it effective day to day. That is exactly what we handle during a home visit: we secure your accounts and online banking with strong passwords and two-factor approval, activate the spam and call filters on your phone and in your email program, and set up scam protection so it works in the background. Afterwards we practise recognising genuine and fake messages together - on your own device, calmly and without jargon.
Anyone who wants to go deeper is in the right place with the privacy course at home: there we go through warning signs, secure accounts and handling personal data step by step. If you want to understand how AI creates voices and texts today, the AI course offers a calm introduction. An often overlooked building block is up-to-date software: an outdated system without security updates is an easy target - you can read why the move from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is worth it right now in the matching article.
Because we come to you by car in the Hildesheim and Leine valley region, much can be done in a single appointment - one personal contact, no call center. No one can promise seamless protection against every conceivable scam, but with the right basics the risk drops noticeably. How this connects with an overall secure, data-frugal home is shown in the article setting up a secure, data-frugal smart home.
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