Anyone who receives an email from a so-called “social insurance company” should be very careful at this time. In the email, the sender promises a refund of 180.50 euros. To get the money, you must click on a link and enter your name and credit card information on a website.
If you are not careful, you may fall for the email, as the text sounds quite official: “After assessing your contributions by the Austrian Social Security, it was determined that you may be entitled to a refund of €180.50. To receive the refund, we ask you to carefully check and provide your details. This ensures that the amount can be transferred correctly to your account. To be sure, an Austrian Social Security employee will contact you by telephone to confirm your identity and protect the reimbursement process. For further questions or to confirm your claim, please contact us directly. Your Austrian social insurance.”
This is how you recognize the wrong sender
However, the sender uses the email address www.sozialversicherung.at@inteliphone.com.mx and also includes an alleged phone number and email address in the email for inquiries team@sozialversicherung.at and the website sozialversicherung.atwhich actually belongs to the umbrella organization of the Austrian social insurance companies.
To get the money you have to click on a link. This leads to a website that even has the SV logo and where you have to enter your name, address, phone number etc. and most importantly your credit card details (see screenshot below).
Caroline Göschl, spokeswoman for the umbrella organization of social insurance, warns against entering data here: “These are phishing emails that are currently in circulation.”
The umbrella organization has already published the following information online:
Dear insured,
we would like to point this out to you There are currently more and more phishing emails in circulation Does that claim come from social security? These fraudulent emails often contain refund claims and ask you to provide personal information.
How to recognize phishing emails:
General: Both the umbrella organization of social insurers and the statutory health insurers would never request account or payment information by e-mail. Moreover, the umbrella organization of social insurance institutions NEVER pays out refunds or claims. Furthermore, a social insurer/health insurer does not call itself “social insurance” or “your Austrian social insurance” in connection with reimbursements.
- Check sender address: A simple mouse movement over the sender address often shows that it is fake.
- Unusual clues: Be wary of emails that ask you to enter sensitive information.
- Spelling and grammar errors: Phishing emails often contain errors that do not appear in official letters.
What to do if you receive a phishing email:
- Do not open links or attachments!
- Do not provide personal information!
- Delete the email immediately.
Your safety is our top priority. If you have any questions or doubts, please contact PostaufnahmeAllgemein@socialversicherung.at immediately
Kind regards
Umbrella association of social insurers
The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) also warned this year about fraudulent phishing emails sent in the name of the health insurance fund supposedly promising reimbursement. “Hands off!” the ÖGK urgently warned its policyholders not to respond.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
