A new wave of ZUS frauds. Be careful - criminals have no scruples

ZUS reports that in recent weeks the number of fraudsters who pretend to be ZUS employees has increased significantly. Criminals want to extort personal data, information about bank accounts or persuade people to open dangerous links or attachments.

- Appeals for caution are not enough. Fraudsters use increasingly sophisticated technical and psychological methods of persuasion, and their catalogue grows practically every day. That is why we work closely with the police and all other institutions combating cybercrime aimed at the elderly in particular - emphasizes Karol Poznański, spokesman for ZUS.

- ZUS enjoys the trust of its customers. False SMS or e-mail messages sent by criminals, which concern, for example, an increase in pension, a change of telephone number or alleged changes made on the Electronic Services Platform (PUE)/eZUS, are not only to the detriment of customers, but also of the Institution - the spokesman emphasizes.

It is important to remember that:

• ZUS never asks for personal data via email, text message or instant messaging,
• does not send login or data verification links via text messages,
• does not send contracts or forms for depositing into investment accounts,
• does not encourage you to make transfers to the specified bank account.

In case of any doubts, you can call the ZUS Customer Contact Centre at 22 560 16 00. The hotline is open from Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 18:00.

- We remind our clients: before you do anything, first contact us by phone or in person at the branch. Haste is a bad advisor in this case, and criminals skillfully exert pressure because they know that if the client calls us first, the fraud will not succeed - indicates the ZUS spokesman.

He points out that recently, fraudsters posing as ZUS employees have been very active . Most often, they want to obtain a PESEL number, bank account number and login data (e.g. for e-mail or online banking). Criminals may also try to extort money .

Attempts by fraudsters take various forms. For example, according to ZUS, one woman came to clients' homes and offered help in filling out applications concerning, among other things, retirement or obtaining a tourist voucher.

ZUS emphasizes that employee visits outside ZUS offices take place only in strictly defined cases . This is an inspection of the correct use of sick leave. The second case of visits is an inspection carried out on persons conducting non-agricultural business activity. Such an inspection is carried out only by control inspectors on the basis of authorization. The inspection is always announced in advance.

Sometimes, scammers send fake messages using various channels to extract data. For example, messages about changing the channel for regaining access to the profile to PUE/eZUS. Fake emails look credible - they may contain the domain "zus.pl" in the sender's address and data resembling a real PUE/eZUS login.

Customers are also sent messages from people posing as "employees of the Benefits or Pensions Department" in connection with a "project" concerning additional earnings and an increase in the received pension. In the next stage, customers are asked to make a transfer to the data from the fake contract they received.

It should be remembered that ZUS does not send e-mail correspondence to its clients. Electronic contact from the ZUS is only possible if the client has a profile on PUE/eZUS and has agreed to this form of contact.

People impersonating employees of the Social Insurance Institution also use telephone contact and ask for confirmation of a change of telephone number in ZUS or on PUE/eZUS. Often, the calls concern financial institutions used by customers. ZUS reminds that consultants on the Social Insurance Institution's hotline do not call customers in such matters.

Social media also features fake ZUS accounts and fake ads. They spread false information, such as supposed investments that will guarantee a pension at the age of 50 or allow you to increase the amount of benefits you are already receiving. Scammers claim that it is enough to invest just PLN 500 to get additional money.

ZUS reminds you not to provide anyone with confidential information, especially after receiving suspicious messages (instant messaging, e-mail or text message) containing a request to share data.

You should also avoid clicking on suspicious links (e-mails, text messages or instant messengers) or downloading attachments from an unknown source.

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