promise “guaranteed huge profit and no risk”, are becoming more and more common, not only in Poland. Unfortunately, anyone who saves and invests can fall victim to them. Criminals tempt their victims with the prospect of quick profit. Once they have successfully established contact, they will do anything to manipulate you.

Jazgot is therefore not just a story about money and investing. It is a story about lies, psychological tricks and desperation.

“Investment scams are becoming more audacious and the thieves – more creative. Many of these stories could make great Hollywood movies. Hence the idea to warn against scammers in a way that is unusual for a bank: by creating a crime series based on true stories,” says Jarosław Górski, head of mBank's security department.

“Crime stories, especially ones that deal with true crime, are the most popular podcast category in the world. There are not many financial crime stories out there, so when we learned about the bank's motivation and the criminal secrets, we knew that we needed a talented writer in charge of the narrative and an experienced audio director responsible for the sound design. Jazgot is a story about human dreams and weaknesses; it proves that any of us can become a victim,” says Jarosław Kuźniar, editor-in-chief and founder of Voice House. “A podcast is a very intimate medium where every sound evokes emotions. Jazgot is a high-quality audio series with a very informative and engaging plot,” adds Kuźniar.

The main protagonist of Jazgot is Piotr. Together with his wife, he runs Niebieski Pociąg, a jazz club in Wrocław. Piotr pursues his dream, but does so with increasing difficulty. He wants to start making money, and a unique opportunity appears on the horizon. Piotr's conduct serves as an anti-guide: it shows the consequences of hasty decisions and exposes the tricks used by criminals.

The first episode of the crime series Jazgot will debut on 20 July on all streaming platforms available in Poland. Earlier, on 13 July, a special intro episode will be aired. “We prepared it based on interviews with financial crime experts who are familiar with the latest scams and pursue every new lead. In this way, we will introduce the listeners to the world of modern investment fraud. Our conversation is a guide on what to watch out for, not only when investing money,” says Jarosław Kuźniar of Voice House.

For years now, we have been educating Poles about security. We were the first bank to run social campaigns on this subject. The audio series is another of our initiatives, this time implemented as part of the Digital Self-Defence campaign: www.mbank.pl/lp2/2023/w1/samoobronawsieci/.