Fraud — where to report in Lithuania?

When fraud happens, what matters most is contacting the right institutions quickly and in the right order. This guide, based on official guidance from the Bank of Lithuania, the police, NKSC and the SEPA scheme rules, explains where to report for your situation — and which money-recovery paths actually work.

Your first step depends on the situation

• Transferred money? → call your bank immediately — an unexecuted payment can sometimes still be stopped, and minutes decide it
• Card or login details stolen? → block the card and access through your bank at once
• No money lost, but you spotted a scam? → report it to NKSC and register the scammer on Apgavo.lt

If you already paid a scammer, we cover the first 24 hours in a separate guide: I paid a scammer — what to do in the first 24 hours.

Your bank — the first call, but know its limits

The Bank of Lithuania instructs victims to contact their payment service provider immediately — in some cases a not-yet-executed payment can still be stopped. What happens next depends on whether you authorised the payment:

If the payment was made without your consent (stolen credentials, unauthorised operation) — the bank must refund the unauthorised payment. This obligation is set in the Law on Payments (implementing EU PSD2). If the bank refuses — see the Bank of Lithuania dispute section below.

If you confirmed the payment yourself, even though deceived — there is no automatic refund. The bank can:

• Initiate a SEPA recall for fraud — only the bank can start the procedure, not you; for fraud it has up to 13 months from the transfer. The recipient's bank must respond within 15 banking business days
• But return is not guaranteed — funds come back only if they are still on the recipient's account and the recipient or their bank agrees to return them. Scammers cash out within hours, and if the recipient refuses, the SEPA rules themselves point to legal recourse outside the scheme
• Dispute a card payment (chargeback) — card operations have a separate international card-scheme dispute procedure with real teeth. Deadlines and process: chargeback guide

The same applies to instant transfers — they settle in seconds and are irrevocable, but the fraud-recall procedure applies to them equally.

Always record the time of your call and get a case number — the Bank of Lithuania requires financial institutions to act on such requests promptly, and proof of the request is needed for the police and a claim.

Police — for the criminal offence

The police direct fraud victims to report via epolicija.lt. Fraud is a crime under Article 182 of the Lithuanian Criminal Code.

• After filing you receive a report number, and once the event is registered — a ROIK number for tracking the status: submitted → registered in the events register → transferred for examination under the Code of Criminal Procedure
• Within the pre-trial investigation you can file a civil claim for damages — no separate civil case needed
• You will need the report number when dealing with your bank and filing a claim — keep it safe

NKSC — for fraud attempts

The National Cyber Security Centre accepts reports about fraud attempts and cyber incidents: scam websites, calls, SMS messages, emails — via nksc.lt/pranesti.html.

An important boundary: if you have already suffered a loss, NKSC directs you to the police via epolicija.lt — NKSC handles incidents, not crimes. Still report the scam website — NKSC can initiate blocking and protect others.

Bank of Lithuania — two roles that matter

Disputes with your bank. If your bank refuses to refund an unauthorised payment, stalls, or mishandles your request — the Bank of Lithuania resolves disputes with financial institutions free of charge. The most convenient route is the electronic dispute system.

Investment fraud. Report fake investment platforms to the Bank of Lithuania at [email protected] — it blocks websites offering illegal financial services and publishes a public list of them. The criminal investigation still goes through the police.

VVTAT — when it's a dispute, not fraud

If you paid a genuinely operating company but did not receive the goods or service — it may be a consumer dispute. In that case contact the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (vvtat.lrv.lt). If the "company" vanished with your money — that is fraud: police and Apgavo.lt.

Apgavo.lt — so your case doesn't end with a report

The bank's recall procedure often runs into the recipient's refusal, and an individual lawsuit costs more than the loss. When the legal path is what remains, its success depends on scale — and that is where Apgavo.lt changes the picture:

1. You register the scammer — IBAN, phone number, email, website or another identifier, with evidence
2. The system links victims — reports about the same scammer are matched automatically
3. A law firm evaluates the case — once the number of victims and total damages justify a group lawsuit
4. You decide — whether to join the lawsuit; registration and reporting are free

Before reporting you can check an IBAN, phone number or website — you will see whether others have already reported the same scammer.

More detail on reporting via the platform in a separate guide: How to report a scammer on Apgavo.lt.

Where to report — summary by situation

Whichever path you take — also register the scammer on Apgavo.lt. The sooner your case is linked with other victims, the sooner it reaches legal evaluation, and damage claims are subject to limitation periods — delay costs you options.

Register a scammer on Apgavo.lt