"The volume of complaints regarding the change of IBAN in Social Security Direct, without the intervention of the beneficiaries, has intensified in recent weeks, with the number of reported situations being around 90. The amount involved in these reported situations is estimated to be 60 thousand euros", says an official source from the institute, in response to Lusa Agency.

On Wednesday, Social Security reported that, following scams on Social Security Direct, it had “immediately inhibited and blocked the insertion/change of IBAN on this platform”.

As such, “from now on, any change or inclusion of a new IBAN in the Social Security Information System will only be possible upon delivery of a document proving ownership of the bank account at the Social Security in-person customer service desks”, it announced.

In response to Lusa, the institute also explained that these situations resulted from “malicious interference by third parties, who may have used the access credentials to Social Security Direct of these beneficiaries”. The organization led by Octávio de Oliveira says it is “aware of the vulnerable situation of some of these beneficiaries”, namely the impact that not receiving the Social Security benefit has on them.

Therefore, and to mitigate these situations, Social Security decided to grant “exceptional financial support, upon presentation of documentation proving the filing of a criminal complaint with a criminal police body and a document proving ownership of the IBAN”. Lusa had asked the institute about the amount that the affected beneficiaries could receive but did not receive a response to this question.

On Wednesday, the institute had only stated that the support would be granted “upon compliance with procedures and depending on the type and value of the benefit that has not been received” and advised the affected parties to contact Social Security services.

In addition, it indicated that it was working together with the Institute of Informatics on “solutions” in order to “reinforce security in the process of inserting or changing the IBAN in order to guarantee the correct link between the account holder and the data entered”. And he advised citizens “to file a complaint with the police authorities, as well as to keep digital security up to date on all their devices, preventing their abusive use”.

In recent times, scams in the name of public institutions such as Social Security or the Tax Authority have been recurrent. On September 12, the institution confirmed to Lusa that it had come across fraudulent messages in its name and advised citizens to file a “complaint with the criminal police or the Public Prosecutor's Office”.