As of: March 7, 2024, 11:02 a.m
By: Vivian Werg
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Criminals are currently posing as employees of the German pension insurance company.
What insured people need to know now and how they can protect themselves.
Berlin – Various cases of fraud via telephone or email continue to cause concern.
The methods used by fraudsters are becoming increasingly dangerous and often more difficult for those affected to recognize.
Seniors in particular are often targeted by criminals.
In the current case, the German Pension Insurance (DRV) is warning of a scam in which fraudsters are targeting the personal data and money of the insured.
Pensioners again in the sights of con artists – The German pension insurance warns its customers © Imago
German pension insurance warns of “dubious” emails
Although this type of rip-off is not new, telephone fraud remains a profitable business for fraudsters.
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), telephone fraud is steadily increasing.
Unfortunately, the dangers of being ripped off by criminals don't just lurk on the phone.
Cybercrime in Germany also remains at a “very high level”.
However, with a few helpful tips you can protect yourself from perfidious scams.
Phishing scams are very common these days.
Phishing traps are usually disguised as emails from well-known companies.
Fraudsters often pose as pension insurance employees in a deceptively genuine letter, during an unannounced home visit, or an unexpected telephone call in order to obtain the personal data and bank details of insured persons and employers.
As the German Pension Insurance (DRV) announced in a press release, there are currently mainly “dubious emails” in circulation.
Only recently did the pension insurance company warn of false SMS messages.
Pension fraud: This is how criminals try to get personal data or money from insured people
According to the DRV, fraudsters use a typical scam:
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The recipients of the messages are asked to send personal or company-specific information.
The affected pensioners are often asked to transfer money directly to someone else's account - otherwise there is a risk of their pension being garnished, pension cuts or other disadvantages.
“Under no circumstances should those affected transfer money domestically or even abroad based on these requests,” says the DRV.
We would also like to point out that the cases mentioned above are not emails from DRV employees or from people commissioned by DRV.
Pension fraud also occurs on the phone or at the front door
As the German pension insurance informs in its brochure “Beware of trick fraud”, the pension fraudsters also proceed in a similar way when they carry out scams on the telephone or at the front door:
When making fraudulent telephone calls, criminals disguise themselves as DRV employees and ask those affected to quickly transfer an amount of money to a specific account.
With the help of technical manipulation, those affected sometimes see the pension insurance's telephone number on the display of their telephone (so-called call ID spoofing).
During a home visit, fraudsters try to gain access to the apartment under the pretext that a pension adjustment needs to be made in order to look for money and valuables.
Other fraudsters sometimes provide a form on which personal information must be entered and then signed.
Here too, the urgent note from the German Pension Insurance: Insured persons are never asked to make a payment over the phone.
In addition, increased caution is particularly required when making home visits: According to the DRV, the only pension insurance employees who visit insured people at home are the insured's elders or insured's advisors - but only if the insured have approached them themselves and made an appointment.
Phishing scams: These are the characteristics you can use to recognize fraudulent emails
Phishing emails often look deceptively real.
According to the Federal Office for Information Security, you can use the following features to identify fraudulent emails:
The text of the email indicates an urgent need for action.
If you don't comply with the demands, threats are used.
You will be asked to enter confidential information.
The email appears to come from a well-known person or organization, but the sender's request seems unusual.
You will be asked to click on the link or an attachment in an email or text message.
In order to prevent attempted fraud, consumer advocates generally recommend saving data so that cyber criminals do not fall into the net.
In the latest scam, “social engineering,” fraudsters gain the trust of their victims in order to manipulate them.
(vw)