PF Account Holders Alert! Know How To Protect Your Money From Online/Internet Frauds

PF Account Holders: EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organization) has issued a warning to its members regarding the risk of internet fraud. The pension organization has provided measures to protect provident fund accounts from internet risks, advising customers to keep watchful about fraudulent schemes and scammers. 

EPFO has urged its members not to share essential information, even if someone purports to be its representative and asks for it, in a social media message from its official Twitter handle. The employment authority further states that it never asks users to share personal information such as Aadhaar, PAN, UAN, Bank Account, or OTP over the phone or over social media.

EPFO never asks provident fund members to deposit money using WhatsApp or any other social media platform in exchange for its services. It has also advised members not to reply to calls or texts posing as EPFO employees requesting them to provide personal information or send money.

What Will You Do If You Receive Calls or Texts Inviting You to Share Your UAN, Aadhaar, or PAN Number or Transfer Money?

If you have received calls or texts from people asking to be EPFO officials requesting for your UAN number, PAN number, or Aadhaar number, you should contact the EPFO immediately. You can visit the EPFO's official website. You can also communicate with them using social media sites such as Twitter.

How to Protect Your PAN, Aadhaar, and Documents from Identity Thieves

EPFO members can store their cards on DigiLocker to avoid online scams. DigiLocker is a secure cloud-based platform for document and certificate storage, exchange, and verification. It is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as part of the Digital India drive.

With your mobile number or Aadhaar number, you can quickly sign up for DigiLocker. Your mobile number or 12-digit Aadhaar number will be authenticated when you sign up by receiving a one-time password, or OTP. Then, for two-factor authentication, you must set your security PIN. You can then upload the documents you want to keep in DigiLocker from 'Upload Documents.'

Documents can be submitted in PDF, JPEG, and PNG formats, with a maximum file size of 10 MB allowed on DigiLocker. It should be mentioned that in order to link your DigiLocker account to your Aadhaar card number, you must first link your mobile number to your Aadhaar card number.

EPFO announced in a tweet that over 16 lakh EPFO subscribers had already filed e-nomination in January. It went on to say, "File an e-Nomination today to ensure #SocialSecurity for your Family/Nominee."