Worryingly, scammers are targeting pensioners on WhatsApp in India, as the deadline for government pensioners to submit the Jeevan Pramaan certificate approaches. The certificate must be submitted each year in November to approved pension payment agencies, such as banks.
In a bid to extract money from them by stealing their personal information, scammers are asking retirees to share their personal information via the popular messaging platform.
After such incidents came to light, the government warned that official updates would not be sent via WhatsApp. Authorities also asked retirees to report suspicious messages and contact their bank or pension fund directly with any questions.
Jeevan Praman Certificate
Jeevan Pramaan Certificate is a life certificate program for people receiving pension. For retirees to continue receiving their payments, they must have the Jeevan Pramaan certificate. Using this fact, scammers, posing as government officials, are sending messages to retirees threatening that their pension will stop unless they update their Jeevan Pramaan certificate or provide personal information via a link given.
A spokesperson for the Central Pensions Accounting Office (CPAO) said: “These messages are a deliberate attempt to steal personal information and potentially financial resources from unsuspecting pensioners. »
Precautionary measures
The government has emphasized that WhatsApp or any other social media platform will never be used for official correspondence relating to Jeevan Pramaan certificates. Pensioners are advised to take the following actions as soon as they receive such a message: Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from them.
Inform the police
Report any suspicious messages you receive to the police immediately. You can also contact your local police station or forward the message to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).