The Social Security Institute (ISS) issued an alert this Wednesday about a new fraud attempt that is circulating via SMS, targeting citizens with false debt notices. In an official statement published on the website, ISS highlights the importance of recipients being suspicious of these messages and avoiding making any payment without prior confirmation with official services.
The fraudulent message in question simulates a request for urgent payment, referring to an alleged debt with Social Security. According to the ISS, the exact content of the message is as follows: “You have debts with Social Security subject to collection from 10/06/2024, pay today and avoid foreclosure Ent: 11249 Ref: 550244103 Value: 524.95 Eur ”. These messages are completely false and were created to try to deceive taxpayers, demanding payments of non-existent amounts.
According to the institute, led by Octávio Félix de Oliveira, the authors of this fraud use alarming language to pressure victims into making an immediate payment, through fictitious references. These cases, warns the ISS, constitute an extortion attempt, where fraudsters pretend to be legitimate entities to obtain undue financial advantages.
Confirmation of debts and official contacts
Social Security emphasizes that any real debt situation must be confirmed directly with its services, by telephone, through the Social Security Line, available at 210 545 400 or 300 502 502, on weekdays, between 9am and 6pm.
Furthermore, it recommends that, in the event of receiving suspicious messages, citizens should avoid clicking on links or sharing personal data. This type of fraud, warns the institute, tends to intensify in periods of greater economic instability, with messages created to exploit taxpayers’ fears and induce hasty reactions.
What to do in suspected cases?
Social Security also urges citizens to be cautious, emphasizing the importance of not providing sensitive information to unconfirmed contacts via SMS and reporting any suspicious communication to the competent services. In case of doubt, it is preferable to use official channels to clarify any issue.
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