How to Report Cybercrime and Online Fraud in Croatia (2026)
Scammed or hacked in Croatia? Who to call (112, police 192), how to report to the police and the National CERT, and how to try to get your money back.
Croatia is a sovereign European Union member state that switched from the kuna to the euro on 1 January 2023, and that currency changeover has itself become a hook fraudsters use in scam calls impersonating the central bank. If you are scammed or hacked in Croatia, you report to the Croatian police, not a foreign or EU-wide body, and separate agencies handle cyber incidents, banking complaints and investment fraud. This guide shows you exactly who to contact, how to preserve evidence, and how to try to get your money back. Act fast: the sooner you tell your bank, the better your odds.
Primary sources: MUP: Croatian Ministry of the Interior · Nacionalni CERT (CARNET) · HANFA: Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency · AZOP: Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency
On this page
First: stop the loss
- Contact your bank or card issuer immediately. If you sent money or shared card details, call the number on your card or statement, report the fraud, and ask them to stop or recall the payment and freeze the account. For card payments, ask about a chargeback. Our chargeback guide explains how.
- Stop all contact with the scammer. Never send more money to "release" or "verify" funds, and never install remote-access software a caller asks for. That is the scam. Block the number, email and account.
- Secure your accounts by changing passwords, signing out other devices and turning on two-step verification. If you clicked a link, see what to do after clicking a phishing link.
- Keep evidence: emails, texts, payment references, names, numbers and account details.
Who to report to
- Emergency or a crime in progress: call 112.
- Fraud and scams: report to the Croatian police (MUP) at any police station, or by email to [email protected]. Ask for a reference number for any bank or insurance claim.
- A cyber attack, hacking or phishing attempt: report to the Nacionalni CERT, operated by CARNET, Croatia's national computer emergency response team, through the incident and phishing report forms at cert.hr.
- Investment or securities fraud: report to HANFA, the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency. Banking complaints and payment-fraud warnings go to the Croatian National Bank (HNB) instead: HANFA covers investment products, HNB covers banks and payments.
Reporting does not by itself return your money, but it creates an official record and feeds local intelligence. Report even if you did not lose money, because the information still helps stop the next victim.
Getting your money back
Croatia uses the euro, adopted on 1 January 2023. How you paid decides your options, and speed is everything.
| How you paid | What to do |
|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Call your bank within minutes to try to stop or recall the payment. Ask whether it will reimburse you, and claim. |
| Debit or credit card | Ask your card issuer for a chargeback and dispute the transaction in writing. Card payments carry the strongest protection. |
| Crypto, cash app or gift cards | Rarely recoverable. Report to the platform and the police at once, and beware "recovery agents" who contact you, that is usually a second scam. |
EU rules give banks strong obligations to refund transactions you did not authorise yourself, but that protection is weaker once you were tricked into authorising a payment personally. Do not assume an automatic refund; report, claim from your bank, and escalate a refused claim through its complaints process.
Scams that hit Croatia
Croatian authorities and consumers have flagged repeated patterns since the euro changeover:
- Fake letters impersonating HANFA or the European Central Bank, pushing bogus investment schemes that borrow a regulator's name and logo to look official.
- Phone scams impersonating the Croatian National Bank (HNB), often citing the kuna-to-euro conversion to pressure people into "verifying" account details or moving money.
- Fake Facebook prize pages impersonating HNB, promising cash giveaways that require an upfront "processing fee" or personal and card details. See how this messaging is built in our explainer on how phishing works and how to stop it.
The law and your data
Computer offences in Croatia, including unauthorised access to a computer system, are dealt with under Article 266 of the Kazneni zakon (Criminal Code), titled "Neovlašteni pristup." Your personal data is protected under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, enforced in Croatia by AZOP, the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency, which organisations must notify of a serious breach within 72 hours.
FAQ
Is there an EU-wide body I should report to instead of a Croatian one?
No. There is no single EU cybercrime reporting body for individuals. Report fraud and crime to the Croatian police, cyber incidents to the Nacionalni CERT, and investment fraud to HANFA.
My email or social media was hacked. Who do I tell?
Secure the account first: change the password, sign out other devices and turn on two-step verification. Report the incident to the Nacionalni CERT, and to MUP if money, identity or business communications were affected.
I only got a suspicious message and lost nothing. Should I still report?
Yes. Reporting phishing emails and scam calls to the Nacionalni CERT helps authorities track offenders and warn others, even without a financial loss.
Sources: MUP: Croatian Ministry of the Interior · Nacionalni CERT (CARNET) · HANFA · Croatian National Bank (HNB) · AZOP
If you have been targeted, you are not alone. See our country-by-country cybercrime help hub for step-by-step reporting and recovery guides.