Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has issued a warning to its PF subscribers about the danger of online fraud. EPFO tweeted that if any person posing as a member of the Pension Fund organization asks for your account related or other confidential information, then do not give it at all. The EPFO said that the organization does not ask for details like Aadhaar, PAN, UAN, bank account or OTP from the subscriber through phone calls or social media. Also EPFO told how PF subscribers can avoid fraud.
EPFO advised
EPFO advised that it also does not ask PF account holders to deposit money to avail its services. In view of this, EPFO has advised not to respond to calls seeking personal information. For further details and grievance redressal, account holders can contact EPFO at https://epfigms.gov.in or call toll-free number 1800-118-005. If EPFO members want, they can get information about these services on the government-run platform UMANG App.
May have to bear big financial loss
The Provident Fund Organization said that employees who change jobs are most prone to cyber attacks. So, they definitely need to be more cautious. If any phishing call or message comes to the PF subscriber, report it immediately. Pay the charges for the services of EPFO through the official channel only. Any unauthorized demand for payment will be the work of cyber criminals, due to which you may have to suffer huge financial loss.
What do hackers do
Hackers can log into your EPF account by stealing your personal information and commit fraud with the deposited amount. Several cases of fraud have come to the fore recently where hackers logged into the PF account of fraud victims and took out entire money without their knowledge. Those who have recently changed their jobs and have not yet transferred their EPF account to the new company are at higher risk of such cyber attacks.