Cybercrime Southeast Europe Newsletter No. 49
Dear Clients,
Recently, new internet fraud attempts targeting pensioners in Serbia have been reported. Scammers are using social media to impersonate official profiles of the Republic Fund for Pension and Disability Insurance (PIO Fund), offering pensioners the possibility of doubling their pensions in exchange for personal information.
The Director of the Public Relations Sector of the PIO Fund emphasizes that this institution never requests such data, as it already has all necessary records in its database.
To protect yourself from such scams, we advise the following:
- Verify the authenticity of profiles:
- Official profiles of government institutions usually have a verification badge (blue checkmark) next to their name on social media.
- Pay attention to the number of followers and previous posts; fake profiles often have few followers and inconsistent content.
- Do not share personal information:
- Government institutions will never ask you to send personal information such as your Social Security Number, bank account number, or PIN codes via social media or email.
- Be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true:
- Pension increases or similar benefits are typically announced through official channels and media, not via private messages on social media.
- Contact official institutions:
- If you receive a suspicious message or offer, reach out directly to the PIO Fund or relevant authorities to verify its authenticity.
- Report suspicious activities:
- Any suspicious message or profile should be reported to the social media platform where you encountered it, as well as to the relevant authorities, so that appropriate action can be taken.
We remind you to be cautious when communicating online and always verify the authenticity of information before sharing your personal details. Our team is here to assist you and provide additional information if you have any doubts or questions.
Kind Regards,
Zoran Miljakovic
Attorney at Law