Scammers are using a new scheme to target retirees: how to protect your money
The Cyber Police and the Pension Fund of Ukraine are warning of a new wave of scams targeting pensioners. Fraudsters are spreading false messages on messaging apps and social media about alleged new payments and “supplements” to pensions in order to gain access to citizens’ banking information. Authorities urge people not to click on suspicious links and to verify information only through official sources.
This was reported by the Cyberpolice Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
Criminals are using the name, symbols, and visual style of the Pension Fund to mislead people and trick them into clicking on phishing links.
In particular, a message has recently been circulating about “new assistance” for pensioners ranging from 3,200 to 5,300 UAH, allegedly depending on the region of residence and length of service. To receive the payment, users were asked to click a button and “confirm their region of residence.” The text also used manipulative language about a “limited time” to receive the funds.
In another scheme, scammers may also use the pretext of supposedly mandatory identification of pensioners to spread phishing links, allegedly for urgent identity verification to preserve pension benefits. The Pension Fund of Ukraine has officially stated that such information is false.
“In all such cases, the perpetrators use the ‘urgency’ factor so that the person does not have time to verify the information and clicks on the link or provides their data under emotional pressure. We emphasize that such posts exhibit signs of phishing and may be used to steal personal data, banking information, or gain access to citizens’ accounts,” the statement reads.
The cyber police also remind the public that scammers often exploit topics related to social benefits, pension changes, or government assistance. The main goal of such schemes is to trick people into clicking on a phishing link, entering confidential data, or logging in to a fake website.
To protect yourself from fraud:
- verify information only on official government websites;
- do not click on links from suspicious Telegram channels or messages;
- do not enter personal or banking information on unknown websites;
- be aware of emotional pressure in messages, such as time limits or “urgent payments.”
As a reminder, in 2025, 80% of online fraud involved manipulation of bank customers, according to statistics.
Recently in Kyiv, scammers swindled a 74-year-old pensioner out of over 1.4 million UAH in various currencies, under the pretext of a security service investigation into ties to an aggressor country.
An international fraud scheme involving the sale of metal products was uncovered in Kryvyi Rih.
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announcednew charges against a former official from Mykolaiv.
As a reminder, the State Bureau of Investigation detained military personnel for embezzling over 47 million hryvnias worth of FPV drones.
The DBR also detained an officer of the Kyiv Territorial Military Commissariat for torturing conscripts.
