The banks have issued an appeal to safe themselves in cash. See how much money you have at home for a rainy day

In the era of dynamic technological improvement and progressive digitalisation, banking systems have become the foundation of everyday life. However, an expanding hazard cyber attacks makes both financial experts and average users wonder how to safe their funds in case of unexpected problems with access to the account. In Poland this subject is gaining importance in the face of many reports of hacker attacks on financial institutions.

Is it worth keeping cash at home?

One of the most crucial recommendations of financial safety experts is to have cash reservethat will let you to last a fewer days in case of problems with access to your bank account. Although digital payments are convenient and fast, failure of banking systems, hacking or deficiency of net access can prevent the usage of payment cards or mobile applications.

Specialists urge that the amount of the cash reserve be adjusted to individual needs and covers expenditure on basic products specified as:

• food,
• medicines
• fuel,
• service charges (e.g. gas, electricity).

It is estimated that the average Polish household should have in cash an amount corresponding to expenditure on three to 7 days. In practice, this means a reserve of between PLN 500 and PLN 2,000, depending on the number of people in the household.

Cyber threats in Poland – data and statistics

From data published by Union of Polish Banks It appears that in 2024 the number of attempts to extort funds online increased by 28% compared to the erstwhile year. Most hackers usage the so-called. phishing, i.e. impersonating trusted institutions to get login data.

According to the CERT Poland report, only in the first half of 2024 was reported above 45 000 cybersecurity incidents12 % of which afraid the banking sector.

Are Poles prepared for cyber attacks?
Research shows that more than 60% of Poles do not have any cash reserves at home, which could pose a serious threat in the event of a crisis. At the same time, awareness of the request for financial collateral is increasing – in 2023, more than 35% of people declared that they began to put aside tiny sums in the form of cash.

How to safely store cash?

When deciding to store money at home, it is worth remembering a fewer safety principles:

1. Don't store all your resources in 1 place. Splitting cash into respective locations minimises the hazard of losing the full amount.
2. Invest in the safe. Modern home safes are resistant to burglary and can supply effective protection against thieves.
3. Don't inform anyone about cash storage. Information about savings kept at home should not be available to outsiders.
4. Avoid storing large sums. The amounts above respective 1000 zlotys are not only harder to secure, but can besides attract the attention of thieves.

Cash or gold – what to choose?

Some people, fearing the stableness of financial systems, decide to invest in gold or another precious metals. Experts stress that although gold is an excellent safety in the long run, the most crucial thing in crisis situations is Financial liquiditywhich is provided by cash.

However, it is worth considering having a tiny amount of precious metals as a complement to the financial reserve.

Expert recommendations for cyber attacks

If there is information about the possible threat of cyber attacks to banking institutions, it is worth taking a fewer steps:

• Pay cash before the banking systems can be overloaded.
• Regularly monitor information about threats and communications from your bank.
• Use current antivirus programs to minimize the hazard of data leakage.

Cash at home not only provides peace, but besides provides real collateral in crisis situations. In the face of the increasing threat of cyberattacks, it is worth taking care of the financial reserve that will let us to last unexpected problems with access to bank funds.