ESIC and PF Claim Agent Scam over the phone

How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.

Callers pretend to be bank staff, police, a courier, a telecom officer or a relative, and they try to keep you on the line while you act. ESIC and PF Claim Agent Scam is one of the ways this shows up: An agent offers to speed up your PF or ESIC claim for a commission and asks for your UAN login or OTP. See how workers lose savings and documents.

What esic and pf claim agent scam looks like over the phone

• A calm, official voice that already knows your name or the last digits of your card.
• Being told to stay on the line and not to tell your family.
• Instructions to install a screen-sharing app or to press keys on the phone.

The agent targets people who have recently changed jobs or whose claim has been rejected. He posts about 'quick PF settlement' in worker groups and local advertisements. He sounds knowledgeable about forms and rejection reasons, and gives a plausible explanation for the delay, such as a mismatch in name or a 'pending KYC' that only he can fix.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• An agent who asks for your UAN password or OTP.
• A promise to settle a claim in a few days for a share of the money.
• An advance fee before any work is done.
• A request to change your registered mobile number to his.
• The caller asks for an OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or CVV.
• You are told that a case, arrest, block or penalty is coming within minutes.

What to do

1. Never share your UAN password or an OTP with anyone.
2. Check the claim status on the official member portal using your own login.
3. Use the official grievance option of the portal or visit the office in person.
4. Never share an OTP or PIN. No genuine staff member needs it.
5. If you already installed an app on the call, uninstall it and switch on airplane mode, then call your bank at once.
6. Tell a family member and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility).

Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Change your portal password and check the registered mobile number and bank details at once.
2. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in if money moved or a fee was paid.
3. Tell your bank on the number printed on your card about any suspicious transfer.
4. Contact the official office to flag the account and file a grievance.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's scam check can read an agent's message and mark the commission, the password and OTP request and the deadline, and Money Shield's checklist and family code word help you pause before a payment. The link check can warn about a lookalike claim portal. It cannot see your account or file a claim for you, so the official member portal remains the only place to do that.

Full guide: ESIC and PF Claim Agent Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, social media, SMS.

Questions