Phishing wave targets DKB customers: forged emails threaten with account freeze
Cybercriminals are sending deceptively authentic emails in the name of DKB and threatening account lockdown. Consumer advocates warn of the fraud.
Consumer advocate warns: phishing emails target DKB customers
Customers of Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB) are currently the target of a phishing campaign. According to BILD, forged emails are circulating that are barely distinguishable from the original at first glance—and are intended to trick recipients into divulging their banking access credentials.
The consumer centre has issued a warning about the messages. The senders claim that registration for the DKB app will expire on 20 August 2026. Anyone who does not respond in time can expect a temporary deactivation of their online banking access. This threat is intended to create deliberate time pressure.
A button embedded in the email with the text "Reactivate now" does not lead to the real DKB website, but to a forged login page that closely resembles the original in appearance. According to the message, the entire process should take only a few minutes. Anyone who enters their access credentials there transmits them directly to the fraudsters.
According to the consumer centre, the combination of a specific expiry date and threatened consequence is a typical phishing attack method designed to provoke hasty reactions.
How to spot the forged email
Even professionally designed phishing emails often contain telltale signs. An impersonal salutation such as "Dear customer" is a first warning signal. Equally striking: a sender address that does not match the official DKB domain. The clearest indication remains the request to enter sensitive banking data via an external link—something reputable banks fundamentally never ask for.
What those affected should do
Anyone who receives such a message should neither click on links nor open attachments, and should move the email directly to the spam folder. Anyone who has already entered access credentials on the forged page should contact DKB immediately and have their online banking access blocked.
Source: BILD