The Centre on October 7, 2024 issued an advisory to pensioners regarding a fraudulent scheme circulating on social media platform WhatsApp.
The scam targets vulnerable pensioners as the deadline for submitting the Jeevan Pramaan certificate approaches.
Jeevan Praman And Deadline
The Jeevan Pramaan certificate is a mandatory annual submission for pensioners in India that can be used to prove their status as living individuals.
This helps them to avoid physical presence at pension disbursing agencies. The deadline for government pensioners is November 30, 2024, with a special window starting from October 1 for those aged 80 and above.
Failure to submit the Life Certificate for three years or more requires approval from the competent authority for resumption of pension.
Current Scam
Scammers are taking advantage of this requirement by sending fake messages on WhatsApp, falsely claiming that pension payments will be stopped unless pensioners update their Jeevan Pramaan certificates or submit personal details via a provided link.
A spokesperson from the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) has highlighted that these fraudulent messages are designed to steal sensitive personal and financial information from unsuspecting pensioners, Times Now reported.
Scammers impersonating as government officials are claiming that pension payments are in danger due to an expired Jeevan Pramaan certificate.
They are sending messages with links or forms asking for personal details, such as bank account information or Pension Payment Order (PPO) numbers. Once they have this information, scammers can commit identity theft or financial fraud.
To protect oneself, pensioners have veen advised to follow clear guidelines issued by the government on its official websites.
Further, pensioners should be aware that official communication regarding Jeevan Pramaan certificates is never conducted through WhatsApp or social media.
Pensioners are advised to avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. Further, they should never share personal information, such as bank account details or PPO numbers, via WhatsApp.
