The entrance of the National Social Security Fund ( NSSF) in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district on January 10. Heng Chivoan
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training has warned members of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to be wary of fraud, saying that “anonymous people” are attempting to defraud members of money.
The so-called scam involves people impersonating NSSF officials to encourage people to transfer additional contributions to the fund.
A May 6 ministry statement explained that the fraudsters were using the NSSF’s profile photos and logo to contact its members directly, with links to fake bank account numbers and QR Codes provided for money transfers.
It said this misleading action could lead to a loss of funds by people who intend to contribute to the NSSF.
The ministry made it clear that it does not have a policy which allows NSSF officials to share their personal bank account details with members.
All information provided by the fund is disseminated exclusively through its official hotline, Facebook page or Telegram channel.
Contribution payments cannot be made via QR Code, and can only be made through the apps of partner banks or directly at the banks’ main branches. To pay via a banking app, users should select public services in the payment menu, and then choose the NSSF logo.
“Please, we urge all NSSF members and other members of the public to be wary of this new scam,” added the ministry.
On May 5, the NSSF also announced that it was aware of the new contribution scam, with fraudsters sending a message to its members directly and convincing them to pay money to the scammers’ bank accounts.
“All members of the NSSF should be very careful about the misinformation provided by these anonymous people, in order to avoid losing money or other property.
“If you are a self-employed member of the fund, each time you make a contribution, you should look for the term ‘NSSF self-employed’,” it said.
“If you click to make a contribution but do not see the above term, it is not the correct NSSF account. You should not confirm your payment as this is likely to be a scam,” it added.
NSSF deputy director-general Heng Sophannarith appeared in a video shared by the NSSF on social media on May 4. He warned that the scammers have caused public mistrust in the NSSF, with a serious impact on the fund and its members.
“The NSSF is working closely with the Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Cyber Crime Department to identify the fraudsters. Once they are uncovered, legal action will be pursued,” he said.
