Warning! Social benefit certificate of life scam on the rise in Brazil
Geared towards making life easier for Brazilians and to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has sanctioned new functional regulations for Brazil’s Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social – INSS, or Brazilian Social Security Institute, in English.
Until 2020, the certificate of life process required the beneficiary to personally go to a bank branch with their documents in hand. Due to the pandemic, however, in the same year, it became possible to test your life without leaving home, using facial biometrics through the “Meu INSS” app.
In February 2022, however, the obligation to provide proof in person was suspended until the end of that year, which means that retirees, pensioners and other beneficiaries of the institution's social security programs will not be harmed if they do not personally provide proof of life.
This is because, as of 2023, the INSS will be responsible for proving proof of life. Now the institute will cross several sources of information from different governmental databases, such as appointments through Brazil’s Unified Healthcare System, known locally as SUS, as well as checking voter registration, income tax statements, and consigned bank loans, among others, to determine whether an individual is qualified to receive the benefits.
These changes sought to reduce the number of fraudulent operations within the Brazilian Federal Government’s social security system since it was common to come across criminals assuming the identity of deceased individuals in order to receive their benefits. However, the institute has now issued a warning about cybercriminals already using these changes to defraud unwary Internet users.
How the scam works
Most times, the scammers approach a victim via messaging apps, text messages (SMS), e-mail or even phone calls, pretending to be a representative from the social security institute. Generally, victims are people whose basic personal data (full name, date of birth, etc.) have been exposed through data leaks, which makes life really easy for fraudsters when “filtering” their victims – made up largely of the elderly.
Once contact has been established, the scammer attempts to win over the victim’s trust by using their leaked personal data and then asks the Internet user to submit photos of their documents to complete the certificate of life process. With these documents in their possession, criminals can easily falsify the beneficiary’s online identity and even take out loans and financing in the victim’s name.
How to avoid falling victim
Firstly, it’s worth reiterating that Brazil’s INSS does not contact its beneficiaries via phone calls for the certificate of life process. The agency also stated that it never sends out text messages with links. It’s also worth remembering that the official number for text-message communication is 280-41; ignore any other attempt at contact. Additionally, the institute emphasized that it never requests the online submission of documents. Even when the manual certificate of life procedure was necessary, beneficiaries were required to present documentation in person.
So, stay alert: if you realize that someone is attempting to scam you, hang up, block the contact and simply ignore suspicious texts. When in doubt, contact the INSS through official channels, such as by the phone number 135 or the Meu INSS platform or application, available for both Android and iOS devices.
Lastly, if you believe you’ve been scammed or know someone who may be a victim, you should immediately file a police report and reach out to the INSS via the official phone number 135 and the banking institution responsible for paying out benefits.
