INSS fraud: scammers request personal data via message and telephone
Scammers impersonate INSS servers to obtain personal data from beneficiaries. The INSS warns: it never contacts citizens by telephone or message for proof of life.
INSS fraud uses proof of life as bait to steal data
According to gov.br, scammers are impersonating servers of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) to obtain personal data from beneficiaries, using Proof of Life as a pretext. The approaches occur by letter, email, telephone or mobile message — via WhatsApp or SMS.
In fraudulent contacts, the fraudsters request personal data and photographs of documents, claiming that without them, there will be an alleged "payment block". In some cases, they even send links for the beneficiary to perform facial biometry. The contacts are made convincingly: the person telephoning conveys reassurance and may even mention personal data of the beneficiary to conceal the fraud.
What the INSS never does
The INSS warns of various behaviours it never adopts in its contacts:
- It never makes direct contact with the citizen to request data, nor does it ask for photographs of documents to be sent via email, WhatsApp or other messaging channels.
- It never sends links by text message. The official INSS SMS number is 280-41, used only to inform about the progress of processes in Meu INSS.
- It never telephones for proof of life procedures.
Facial biometry must be performed exclusively through the gov.br application. The official digital channel for sending documents is Meu INSS — available on the website gov.br/meuinss or in the mobile application. Beneficiaries should never send documents by email.
How to act in the face of a fraud attempt
If a beneficiary receives a suspicious call, the INSS recommends that they hang up immediately and provide no information. If the approach is by text message, the number should be blocked.
Whenever the INSS summons a citizen to present documents, this summons is recorded in Meu INSS and can be verified by telephone 135. Any request must be fulfilled exclusively through official channels: the Meu INSS application or website, or a Social Security agency, by appointment.
When calling 135, the attendant may request some information — this is a security procedure to confirm the identity of the caller.
The INSS also advises beneficiaries to keep their contact data up to date — telephone, email and address — which can be done through Meu INSS or by telephone 135.
Complaints and filing reports
Attempted fraud should be reported to the INSS Ombudsman, via the internet or by telephone 135. Anyone who has been a victim of fraud should file a Police Report and communicate what happened to the organisations involved, namely the INSS itself and the bank where they receive the benefit.
The gov.br recalls that the obligation to provide proof of life is suspended until 31 December 2022 and that until that date, no benefit will be suspended. The INSS is working on implementing data-crossing systems — using the database of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and other federal bodies — so that proof of life can be carried out automatically. Nevertheless, beneficiaries who prefer to do so can still do so through traditional channels, such as the bank or Meu INSS.
Source: CNN Portugal