How to Identify a Genuine Source: Verification of Offices, Companies, and Information in Poland – Official Registers and Warning Lists (2026)

Fake "mandate from mObywatel", SMS from "ZUS" about underpayment, a call from a "policeman", deepfake of the president promoting a "state investment platform", an email from a "law firm" about an inheritance from a distant relative in Poland – scammers are increasingly impersonating the state and institutions. Fortunately, Poland has a complete set of official, free registers and warning lists that allow you to verify a website, company, lawyer, official, and "new law" in just a minute. This guide collects them all – with addresses verified in real-time. For the Polish diaspora, this is doubly important: it is harder to "go to the office to check" from the other side of the world, and scammers know this. As of July 22, 2026.

Rule Number One: Read the Domain, Not the Lock

Only a public authority, a self-government of a public trust profession, or an entity subordinate to the Prime Minister or ministers can register a domain in the .gov.pl zone – and only directly with NASK. No scammer will buy it from a commercial registrar. Therefore, the first instinct should be to look at the end of the address: genuine state services end with .gov.pl.

Two nuances you need to know:

• Exceptions to the rule: several important institutions operate outside of .gov.pl – zus.pl (ZUS), nbp.pl (NBP), policja.pl (the main police portal; local units use policja.gov.pl), prezydent.pl. So: "non-gov.pl" does not automatically mean a fake – but a payment page posing as an administration and not on .gov.pl is a red flag.
• The lock and "https" are not proof. CERT Polska emphasizes in its communications: criminals routinely use valid TLS certificates. In a documented campaign from June 2026, fake "mandates from mObywatel" led to polished sites in domains ending with .cc – with a lock, time pressure, and a form for card data.

Additional tool: WHOIS for .pl domains (dns.pl/whois) – a "bank" or "office" whose domain was registered a week ago speaks for itself. You can check and report a suspicious address on the CERT Polska warning list (cert.pl/lista-ostrzezen) – the list is updated every 5 minutes, and Polish operators automatically block domains listed there at the network level.

"Apparently a new tax is coming" – How to Check the Law Yourself

You can verify viral reports about "new regulations" in fifteen minutes, without a lawyer:

1. Journal of Laws (dziennikustaw.gov.pl)

   In Poland, a law comes into effect only after being published in the Journal of Laws. If the "new law" does not have a position in the Journal of Laws – it is not law. Resolutions and announcements can be found in the Monitor Polski.

2. ISAP (isap.sejm.gov.pl)

   The Internet System of Legal Acts of the Sejm: full texts of all laws and regulations, with consolidated texts. Free, official, accessible from abroad.

3. Drafts: legislacja.gov.pl and sejm.gov.pl

   If something is just a draft, you can find it in the Government Legislative Process (legislacja.gov.pl – may be unavailable from some foreign networks) or in the search engine for parliamentary prints. Draft ≠ law: most "shocking changes" from headlines die in consultations.

Company Verification: Five Free Registers

The VAT white list deserves a separate mention: before transferring a larger amount to a company (advance for renovation, car purchase, invoice from a contractor), check if the account number belongs to that company – scams "on substituted invoices" rely precisely on the fact that no one checks this.

Verification of Lawyers and Trusted Professions

Every Polish public trust profession has an official, public register – a "law firm" that is not listed there does not exist:

• Lawyers: National Register of Lawyers – rejestradwokatow.pl
• Legal advisors: rejestrradcow.pl
• Notaries: National Notarial Council search engine – krn.org.pl
• Sworn translators: official list of the Ministry of Justice – gov.pl/web/sprawiedliwosc/tlumacze-przysiegli
• Tax advisors: KRDP register – krdp.pl
• Executors: National Council of Executors search engine – komornik.pl

This is particularly important for matters conducted from abroad – inheritances, real estate sales, powers of attorney – where you only know the "lawyer" from emails. Before sending documents or money: find the person in the register, independently search for the law firm's phone number, and call.

Investments: First KNF, Then Enthusiasm

According to CSIRT KNF, over 96% of ~42 thousand fraudulent domains reported for blocking in 2025 concerned fake investments. The scheme is always similar: a "state" platform (scammers impersonated, among others, Orlen, GPW, and Baltic Pipe), guaranteed profit, advertising with a deepfake of a well-known person – NASK documented forged images of, among others, presidents, ministers, Robert Lewandowski, and Rafał Brzoska; in six months, it recorded 121 well-known individuals used in this way.

A two-minute procedure before any investment:

1. KNF Entity Search Engine (knf.gov.pl/podmioty/wyszukiwarka_podmiotow) – does the company have a license (bank, brokerage house, payment institution, lender)?
2. Public Warning List KNF (knf.gov.pl/dla_konsumenta/ostrzezenia_publiczne) – entries indicate KNF notifications to the prosecutor's office about suspected unlicensed activity.
3. CSIRT KNF Knowledge Base (cebrf.knf.gov.pl) – current scam campaigns, including separate studies on deepfakes and "Nigerian inheritances".

Rule: no genuine investment is advertised with a deepfake and guarantees profit. More about scam mechanisms – in the category Financial Security and Scams.

"Good morning, this is the police/tax office/ZUS" – Verification of People

• An ununiformed policeman is obliged to provide their rank and name and show their ID so that you can read the number and unit. The police never asks for money, transfers, BLIK codes, or participation in a "secret operation" over the phone. Doubts? Hang up and call 112.
• The tax office (KAS) officially warns: it does not send SMS or emails with links for "tax refunds" or "account verification". You can check everything yourself by logging into the e-Tax Office – how to do this from abroad is described in our guide to e-offices.
• ZUS documented campaigns of fake emails from "alert@zus.pl" about underpayment of contributions – the real ZUS does not send payment links; you can check matters in eZUS at zus.pl.
• Executors operate from a specific office and with a case number – you can verify them in the search engine at komornik.pl and call the number found there, not in the email.
• Collector, courier, installer – the same universal rule: use the number from the bill or the official company website, never the one provided by the caller.

Scams Targeting the Polish Diaspora

Fact-checking: Who in Poland Rectifies Fake News

• Demagog (demagog.org.pl) – the oldest Polish fact-checking organization; breaks down viral fakes, including scams with deepfakes of politicians.
• FakeHunter (fakehunter.pap.pl) – fact-checking by the Polish Press Agency.
• CERT Polska (cert.pl) and NASK – announcements about current phishing and disinformation campaigns.
• Government announcements – always from the source at gov.pl, not from screenshots on social media.

Protective Measures and Reporting: What to Set Up and Where to Alarm

• Block PESEL (mObywatel or gov.pl) – from June 2024, banks must check the block register before granting credit; debt incurred despite the block cannot be enforced from the victim.
• Lost/stolen document report at any bank to the Blocked Documents system (dokumentyzastrzezone.pl, ZBP system) – the block works across the entire banking sector.
• BIK Alerts – notifications about attempts to take credit in your name (commercial, but an effective supplement).
• Reporting scams: suspicious SMS → forward to 8080; website/incident → incydent.cert.pl; consumer issues → UOKiK hotline 801 440 220 or +48 22 290 89 16 (works from abroad) and porady@dlakonsumentow.pl; disputes with banks/insurers → Financial Ombudsman (rf.gov.pl); crime → police (from abroad: online forms work globally).

60-Second Checklist

Related Guides

• Polish e-offices from abroad – guide to official sources
• Official alarm and information channels in Poland
• How to realistically help family in Poland from abroad (anti-scam shield for parents)
• Student Scam – Fake Bills

Sources

As of July 22, 2026. The addresses of registers and scam mechanisms change – in case of doubt, start from gov.pl and cert.pl. This guide is for informational purposes; scam victims should immediately contact their bank and the police.