Below is a fake login screen and a fake payment screen with 14 hidden warning signs in total. Pick a mode: reveal the signals with explanations, or test yourself against the clock.
Confirm your card and login details to regain full access.
Confirm all your details to continue
Problems? Email support@veiligbank-helpdesk.info 6
14 rules of thumb to tell a real bank and payment environment from a fake site.
No padlock, "http", and the real brand hidden before a strange main domain. Look at the part just before the first single "/".
Threatening a block or a deadline is meant to make you act fast and without thinking. A real bank never does that.
Spelling mistakes, an impersonal greeting and fear language ("suspicious activity") are classic phishing formulas.
When logging in, a real bank never asks for your full IBAN, PIN and card number all at once.
You only enter your PIN at an ATM or payment terminal — never on a website.
Official mail comes from the bank's own domain, not from loose domains like "-helpdesk.info".
No company registration, no licence (DNB/AFM), no real address. Legitimate banks always show this.
An image saying "100% safe" or "SSL secured" means nothing — anyone can put up such a logo.
You were supposed to "verify", but suddenly a real amount is debited. Always check exactly what you pay.
The recipient's name is a private person or a vague company abroad, not your own bank.
Card number, expiry date and CVC together with your PIN? That is exactly enough to empty your account.
A code from your banking app or SMS you share with no one — a real bank never asks for it via a website.
A real iDEAL/bank screen opens in your own banking app or on the real bank domain, not as a pop-up on the shop site.
A counter or "pay within 5 min or your access expires" rushes you through the payment. Take your time.
Feeling hesitant? Close the page, open your banking app yourself and call the number on your bank card — never a number from the suspicious message.
Disclaimer: this page is for educational purposes only. It is a simulated bank and payment environment with no relation to any existing bank or payment service. Never enter real details here.
An educational demo by Apptimate · apptimate.nl