Attention: scam messages sent on behalf of Kela

The Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela) has received notifications of scam messages recently sent on its behalf.

According to the information published by Kela in its website, those phishing messages have been sent to its customers in recent weeks -specifically during the summer time- by email ans SMS. The objective of the scammers is to obtain the personal and banking data of the users.

The Social Security Institution explained that the messages sent in its name usually offer a fast loan.

Normally, these kind of scam messages include at least one link that leads to a form to be filled out with personal data. Kela warns that this is a phishing practice, which seeks to obtain the user's bank and personal identity information.

Kela remarked in its release that, for security reasons, never asks by email or text messages sensitive information from its customers such as their personal ID numbers. Kela's electronic customer service is the right channel to report any data that may be misused by unwanted individuals 

If you receive a scam message, follow these steps:

In case you receive one of those malicious messages, the Social Insurance Institution recommends to follow these four steps:

• Don't reply to the message or enter your information in the required fields.
• Don't click on the links which are included in the message.
• If you suspect that your credit card details or bank credentials have fallen in the wrong hands, contact your bank's customer service immediately.
• If you wish, you can also submit a notification to the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland (kirjaamo.etela@avi.fi) and to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.