Why do scammers need a SNILS number: what can scammers do if they know the number, why is SNILS dangerous?

Why do scammers need a SNILS number?

With the emergence of a huge number of non-state pension funds in Russia, it has become quite clear why scammers need SNILS - on behalf of the owner of the coveted 11-digit number, they simply transfer funds from the funded part of the insurance pension to a third-party non-state fund. Moreover, the transfer process itself, without taking into account the fact that the number was stolen, is a completely legal procedure.

The transfer of funds is carried out without notifying the owner. This happens to enrich individuals who enjoy the trust of people. For each transfer, the non-state fund pays its employees a bonus of 1000-2000 rubles.

How scammers use the received SNILS data

Most often, SNILS fraud is carried out by employees of non-state pension funds (NPFs), who, knowing the treasured number, transfer pension money from a state account to the account of their company, where they are accumulated and stored under completely different conditions.

note

The only, but rather significant, disadvantage of transferring money to a non-state pension fund is the real possibility of liquidation of a commercial organization, as a result of which the pensioner will lose all or most of his savings due to multiple withdrawals and transfers to another account.

Knowing the pension certificate number, NPF employees fill out an application for transfer on behalf of the pensioner. Quite often, pensioners themselves sign this application under the guise of another document.

Thus, neat young people who found out the old man’s pension number earn from 3 to 5 thousand rubles for each such pensioner. Sometimes it turns out that such a sudden transition to a non-state structure can be beneficial for the “victim” of fraud, since the commission percentage paid at the end of the year will be 5-6% higher than government norms.

Is it possible to report your SNILS number?

It is strictly forbidden to disclose the SNILS number to any people who ask for it. This number is the personal confidential information of each citizen, so it can only be used when independently contacting various government bodies and authorities.

It is strongly recommended not to provide your number to suspicious persons who approach you on the street, go door to door, or ask for personal information on the Internet. Also, you should not leave photocopies of your data anywhere, send photographs, etc.

What SNILS consists of and what the numbers in the insurance number mean can be found out here.

What can scammers do if they know their SNILS number, passport details and TIN

Attackers are actively hunting for the personal data of citizens, and they are interested not only in SNILS, but also in passports, tax identification numbers and other documents - their numbers and series, as well as other information.

Why is it dangerous to provide certain documents to scammers?

SNILS. If an attacker somehow finds out the certificate number of a specific person, he will simply fill out an application on his own, sign it and transfer the accumulated pension contributions from his personal account from the Pension Fund to a non-state fund, which has its own interest rates. For each such trick, the fraudster receives a reward from the employer in the amount of 1,000 to 2,000 rubles, sometimes more. Many people even sign applications on their own, filling them out without reading the proposed document at all.
Passport details. Having a copy or photograph of the pages of a citizen's passport in hand, attackers can perform various actions. Most often, passport data is used to achieve the following goals: taking out a loan from a microfinance organization, applying for a loan with the help of accomplices in a large bank, registering a company on behalf of the victim, which will engage in illegal activities. Practice shows that with the help of passport data, fraudsters can perform almost any action that is available to the real owner of the document. Even the photo doesn't matter.
TIN. The TIN is not of particular value to fraudsters, because if you only have an individual tax number, there is no way to get rich or carry out fraudulent schemes - you will definitely need a passport or something else. Therefore, the TIN is usually stolen along with data from other documents of the victim.

Related article: What is SNILS for a Belarusian in the Russian Federation, is it needed and how to get it

Important! If you have passport data, fraudsters can request a TIN through government services.

How scammers find out SNILS

SNILS is the insurance number of an individual personal account. Every person in our country, and even children, have such a personal account. The citizen is given a plastic card, where this number is indicated. The account number is needed primarily to transfer employer contributions. And the document will need to be presented when applying for employment, when applying to the Pension Fund and a number of other institutions.

The SNILS number is personal information, and no one has the right to disclose it or communicate it to third parties without the consent of the account owner. But it also happens that people themselves tell their SNILS, sometimes to complete strangers. But no one has canceled the SNILS fraud.

There are several ways to find out SNILS:

scammers go door to door, introduce themselves as employees of the pension fund and ask to clarify personal data, in particular, they are interested in the insurance number;
scammers call the phone the same way as fund employees and ask for a SNILS number;
They may even approach you on the street under the guise of conducting a sociological survey, offering to answer questions and leave your data.

As a rule, in such cases, attackers act very convincingly, presenting documents and fake IDs.

There is another option for cheating via the Internet. The website offers a SNILS number to find out what additional pension payments a person can count on. To do this, you need to enter your insurance number. After this, the result appears, which can consist of a fairly significant amount.

The scammers promise almost immediate receipt of this money and offer to perform the next action, but you already have to pay a certain amount of money.

This scheme may have several stages. It all depends on the degree of gullibility of a person. Thus, deceivers not only receive a certain amount of money, but also find out their SNILS number.

Read what is the responsibility under the article for beating minor children.
And here’s how to get a license to cremate animals.

How scammers get a SNILS number

There are many schemes that criminals use to trick citizens into giving them personal information:

checking or replacing documents;
processing cash payments;
increase in pension;
filling out various applications for benefits and much more.

All these pretexts are used by criminals to get hold of the certificate number. Moreover, in some cases, scammers do not have to resort to tricks, because gullible people, especially those of retirement age, independently hand over all documents to them for “checking” and viewing, photographing, hoping to receive the promised monetary or social benefits.

Access to confidential information

Using the certificate number, criminals have the opportunity to register and log into an account on the State Services portal. At the moment, the site does not have additional security tools, so after authorization the attacker gets full access to the private personal information of the deceived citizen. In addition to State Services, the fraudster can also log into his personal account on the Pension Fund portal.

If the victim's account is completely filled out, the criminal receives the following data:

passport;
TIN;
place of residence and registration;
telephone number, e-mail;
information about the availability of movable and immovable property;
information about a citizen’s salary, paid contributions to funds;
other information from the profile or history of requests for public services.

Risk of property losses

If a fraudster only knows a citizen’s SNILS number, then the latter is unlikely to suffer any property losses. They are only possible in a situation where the criminal obtains complete confidential information from the victim’s State Services account. In this case, he can take out a loan and set up a shell company, which is why the victim will face numerous proceedings with the police, judicial authorities, and private companies.

But what will they do using the SNILS number? Certain losses also include the transfer of the funded part of the pension according to SNILS to non-state funds. The danger of such a transfer is that the very fact of transferring funds will be unknown to the victim - no one will notify her about this, so deceived people usually find out this information by accident.

Article on the topic: Features of registering SNILS for an employee through an employer

Access on the State Services website

The presence of SNILS allows the fraudster to gain access to confidential information on the State Services portal, which was previously entered by the victim, his relatives or employees of government departments. Passport data and other information are required to receive even small, insignificant government services, so the profile must be at least partially filled out. After logging in under someone else’s account, the attacker receives all the information about the victim available on the site. Therefore, it becomes clear what exactly scammers can do if they know the SNILS number.

In cases where fraudsters have learned the SNILS number, it is necessary to contact law enforcement agencies and the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation to prohibit the transfer of the funded part of the pension to any funds - such a service is provided to the population. It is also worth changing the password on the State Services portal or choosing a more complex authorization method.

Common fraud schemes using SNILS number

Several common schemes allow fraudsters to obtain a SNILS number from citizens:

conducting a social survey;
registration with a recruitment agency or employment center;
verification of documents on behalf of a particular government organization;
re-registration on behalf of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation.

Remember that the Pension Fund never practices censuses, re-registrations or remote processing of documents. It is illegal to transfer your savings to a non-state pension fund or gain access to your other documents - this is what you can do if you know your SNILS number and last name. This is precisely why such “performances” are organized in entrances, on the streets and near metro stations.

Why are scammers so active and what benefit do they have from transferring your pension savings to another organization?

The thing is that for each new client, the NPF pays such “volunteers” a personal monetary reward, and their earnings directly depend on the number of defrauded citizens.

This is why scammers need SNILS and why they are so actively seeking to obtain it. Moreover, the reward is decent, approximately 3000-5000 rubles.

However, we hasten to reassure you: you will not face any real financial losses; scammers cannot steal your pension or take out a loan in your name. True, there have been cases when non-state pension funds were declared bankrupt or simply turned out to be fake shell companies. But in these cases, the state will protect your savings and return them, although even in this case there is little pleasant in such a situation.

Obtaining information about documents from the State Services portal is another option for how scammers can use a stranger’s SNILS number. What will this give them? The worst thing they can do after this is to forge the necessary papers to use them in criminal schemes. And here you can really face the fact that they will issue a loan for you or change the insurance company, or use your passport data in one way or another. All these problems can be solved, and in order to avoid unnecessary hassle, experts recommend taking care of your documents and not providing data to strangers. However, such fraud with SNILS in 2021 is only possible if you used your individual personal account insurance number on the State Services website as a login or password. However, the portal itself suggests replacing it with email and this, of course, is much safer.

Remember that by leaving your data on the site or accessing the portal from someone else’s computer, you risk becoming a victim of fraud, especially do not do this in dubious Internet cafes. If you had to access the site from a relative or friend’s computer, make sure that the login data is not automatically saved in the browser. If you follow all the above recommendations, then you will not be afraid of “divorce” according to SNILS in 2021 or any other year.

Does SNILS give access to personal information about a person and his income?

If the SNILS number is known, then the maximum that can be found out is information about the amount of pension contributions of a particular citizen. A skilled fraudster, however, is able to calculate from them the amount of your income in a given period of time. Why does he need this, because not a single fraudster can transfer your funds or withdraw them from bank cards to their personal accounts, knowing only the insurance number of an individual personal account? Information even about the approximate level of your income will enable scammers to determine whether it is worth hunting for your property or deposits - that’s why scammers ask for your SNILS number. However, scammers will only be able to obtain such information if they hack your personal account on the State Services website, and this is not so easy.

A more common type of fraud is selling a client to a non-state pension fund. All you need for this is your SNILS number, passport details and your signature, although scammers often neglect the latter. Others place the required document between other, non-threatening papers. But can scammers use your SNILS number to transfer the funded part of your pension to a non-state pension fund without your consent? Alas, yes. Of course, this is officially prohibited, but otherwise such a scheme would not be considered fraud. The whole point is that your consent in the form of a statement is either falsified or given for signature under the guise of another document. That is why, when strangers walk around the entrances and ask you to sign to confirm your refusal/consent to something, before doing so, carefully read all the papers offered to you.

Many people are concerned about whether they can take out a loan using their SNILS number, re-register their home, or withdraw funds from bank accounts. No! But with the help of SNILS, fraudsters can gain access to your documents and data on the State Services portal and after that use them for their own selfish purposes.

Encroachment on property when requesting SNILS

Another new type of fraud is imaginary payments for refusal of spa treatment on behalf of the Pension Fund. In a telephone call, representatives of the pension fund allegedly say that the pensioner has been allocated a trip, but needs to go right now. Having received a natural refusal, they are interested in bank card data for transferring compensation, while asking for passport data and SNILS number. Often, gullible citizens report everything, right down to the PIN code of their bank card.

Another way to get money using SNILS, which is used by unscrupulous businessmen, is to transfer the funded part of the pension to a fake NPF, then withdrawing it from the accounts and disappearing in an unknown direction.

Why is the simplified registration option on the State Services portal dangerous?

The State Services Portal is a convenient and functional service that provides the opportunity to use and store your data remotely, as well as order services from government agencies. And scammers could not ignore such a resource. It is no secret that one of the registration options on the portal involves using your insurance number for an individual personal account. But to avoid becoming a victim of scammers, it is better to use an email address instead. This will help protect your data.

Fraud protection options

From what was described above, it became clear how scammers will be able to use the SNILS number. Therefore, it is worth protecting yourself and your loved ones (especially those of pre-retirement and retirement age) from the potential actions of attackers.

Options for protecting against personal data ransomware are as follows:

Never, under any circumstances, transfer personal data to third parties (when contacting on the street, during a personal visit to your home, etc.).
Always ask the person who introduced himself as an employee of the Pension Fund or other government departments for identification.
Call the police if there are any aggressive actions by intruders in your home.
Do not sign any contracts or agreements without reading them completely and clarifying each point.

What to do if scammers already have your SNILS number

Fraudsters who find out the number of the compulsory insurance card of citizens will certainly carry out various frauds with it. Therefore, you need to immediately call or personally visit a branch of the Pension Fund, asking department employees not to transfer the funded part of the pension to a non-state pension fund when such a request is received.

Related article: SNILS for a child and how to find out the insurance certificate number

If the pension has already been transferred to a non-state fund, then you must write an application addressed to the head of this fund, indicating that consent to the transfer of pension savings was not given, so it is necessary to transfer them back to the Pension Fund (or another fund in which they were previously stored). It would also be a good idea to contact the police with a corresponding report of identity theft.

Safety rules for SNILS owners

There are several rules that are relevant for owners of insurance certificates of different ages:

Pension Fund employees do not go to the homes of Russian citizens. Therefore, any persons who introduce themselves as employees of the Russian Pension Fund and ask to be allowed into the apartment are criminals.
Before signing any contracts and papers, you must read them carefully and become familiar with each clause.
When collaborating with recruitment agencies, you should not transfer SNILS to employees - they do not require such data by type of activity.
Do not leave your certificate number on the Internet on any website. Such information on the network can only be requested by the Gosuslugi portal or the Pension Fund of Russia website; other resources asking for such data are fraudulent.
The SNILS card cannot be handed over to third parties under any circumstances.

Conclusion

The danger of scammers stealing your SNILS number is quite high. Using speech and conversation techniques, they convince Russian citizens (especially those of retirement age) to give them personal information under various pretexts. This is prohibited. Employees of none of the government services and departments do not go door to door and do not collect personal data of citizens of countries. Such requests can only be made at the Pension Fund branch, MFC or in the buildings of other government departments when preparing any documents and requests.

What is SNILS and why is it needed?

SNILS is the insurance number of an individual personal account assigned to each, as well as. , even before he receives a passport, at the regional office/branch of the Pension Fund of Russia, but many through the employer at the first time.

The SNILS number is used to transfer pension contributions from the employer; it is also required to receive many government services and apply for benefits.

In addition, teenagers need it if they want to get a job during the holidays.

To know exactly your rights and options, be sure to read about.