When the Bank Goes Quiet, the Scammers Get Loud

This Monday morning a number of DNB customers could not log in to their mobile or online bank. DNB, Norway’s largest bank, confirmed the problem to VG and said it was working to fix it as fast as possible (VG, 2026; Adresseavisen, 2026). No cause has been given. Outages happen, and the bank will sort it out.

What worries me is the next few days.

An outage like this is a gift to scammers. People are already confused, already a little stressed, and already expecting to hear from their bank. That is exactly the frame a fake message needs. Expect texts and emails that look like DNB and say something like: “Due to today’s technical problems, your BankID has been blocked. Log in here to restore access.” Expect calls from someone who sounds calm and helpful and says they are from the bank’s security team.

DNB’s own advice describes the pattern well: the message demands urgent action, for example because your BankID is blocked and must be reopened (DNB, n.d.). Nettvett, a Norwegian online safety service, calls the text-message version smishing: a message with a link to a fake website and a reason why you must act now (Nettvett, 2022).

So, a few plain rules for this week:

• Do not click a link in any message about the outage, however real it looks. Open the bank’s app or type the address yourself.
• Your bank will never ask for your BankID code, password or one-time codes by text, email or phone. Anyone who asks is not your bank.
• If someone calls, hang up and call the bank back on the number you already know.
• If you clicked and logged in, or handed over a code, call the bank at once and block your card. Speed matters.
• Tell the people around you, especially the ones who are older, busy or new to the country. They are the ones the scammers count on.

The outage is DNB’s problem. The scam that follows it will be ours, unless we see it coming.

References

Adresseavisen (2026) Innloggingstrøbbel hos DNB, 19 October. Available at: https://www.adressa.no/nyheter/innenriks/i/oKyKBK/innloggingstroebbel-hos-dnb (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

DNB (n.d.) Phishing. Available at: https://www.dnb.no/en/financial-adviser/security/fraud/phishing (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

Nettvett (2022) SMiShing - SMS-svindel. Available at: https://nettvett.no/smishing-sms-svindel/ (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

VG (2026) DNB: Problemer med å logge inn i banken, 19 October. Available at: https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/R5n548/dnb-problemer-med-aa-logge-inn-i-banken (Accessed: 19 October 2026).