Imagine working tirelessly for years, diligently saving up for retirement, only to see all that money vanish in a scam scheme. Falling victim to pension scams is beyond heartbreaking and can leave you disoriented.
Understanding how these scams operate and recognizing their warning signs is crucial in safeguarding your future. In this article, you’ll learn to identify pension fund scams and how they operate, ensuring you do not fall victim to them.
What is Pension Scam?
These are fraudulent schemes where individuals or organizations deceive people to gain access to their pension funds. There are many pension scams examples and they may present themselves in ways including promising to fast-track pension disbursements, tricking victims into transferring their retirement savings, or even doubling the money in your pension funds overnight.
Scammers can be so cunning that you may not immediately recognize them amid the brouhaha. Regardless, we’ve highlighted some ways to distinguish shady pension companies from legitimate ones.
Pressure Tactics
One tell-tale sign that you’re dealing with fraudulent people is the urgency they build around your interactions.
Scammers often use pressure tactics to get you to make quick decisions, claiming that offers are time-sensitive or that you’ll miss out on a great opportunity. And if one is easily influenced by the fear of missing out (FOMO), there is a possibility that they fall victim.
Complicated Structure
Top of the list of qualities for good pension fund administrators is transparency. If you do not understand how the administrator’s processes work, then there is a problem.
You must know what to expect at certain touchpoints from the start of your interaction until the very end. If you’re confused about how they work, then they’re probably not legitimate, and perhaps, perpetrators of pension scams.
Unsolicited Contact
Don’t misconstrue this point; It’s good to be in touch with your pensions company and they are easily accessible. However, you should be wary of unsolicited and unexpected calls, texts, or emails with an influx of multiple free pension offers. Legitimate financial advisors do not spam.
Prying into Your Privacy
Ideally, no pension company or representative from the brand should request private details, passwords, or one-off codes. You can particularly flag off this tactic as shady when you have not initiated any conversation that warrants giving out any private or confidential information
How to Avoid Pension Scams
Check Their Credentials
The first obvious thing to do when anyone or a company approaches you with a pension offer is to verify their credentials. Check if they are registered with PENCOM and whether you’ll find them on the PENCOM website.
PenCom provides a list of registered pension fund administrators on their website and it is only these accredited PFAs that you should trust.
Use Secure and Trusted PFAs
To avoid falling victim to pension scams, you must stick to well-known and reputable Pension fund Administrators. Beyond the PENCOM verification, you want to go the extra mile to look them up on the internet for reviews.
You can make your findings via multiple social media platforms like X and Facebook, browse through their website, or on search engines like Google.
As much as you can, try to avoid PFAs with shady reputations or little information about them on the internet, especially those that contact you out of the blue.
Protect Your Personal Information
Be cautious about sharing personal information, especially over the phone or on the internet, unless you are sure the contact is legitimate. Secure and legitimate PFAs like Oak Pensions would never request that you reveal your password and other confidential details via text message, phone call, or mail.
Report Scammers
When you come across pension scam instigators, you can swiftly report them to the appropriate authorities. The Nigerian law frowns against pension scams or fraudulent activities of any kind.
You can reach the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission directly via 234 99 044 000 or call Pencom at 0700-225 -573-6266. You’d be doing yourself and other pensioners a favor by reporting to the appropriate bodies as this means there will be one less criminal swindling people of their hard-earned money
Eliminate the Get Rich Quick Mindset
More often than not, people with mindsets fixated on earning money by hook or crook are more prone to fall victim. And when the warning signs present themselves visibly, their thoughts are clouded.
Conclusion
Protecting yourself from pension scams requires vigilance and a cautious approach to better identify these potential threats. Again, the best way to have complete peace of mind is by trusting a reliable pension fund administrator like Oak Pensions.
Oak Pensions is a pensions administrator legally registered and recognized by Pencom to ensure pensioners enjoy peace of mind even in retirement. Their processes are also straightforward and transparent. Contact Oak Pensions' team of professionals to learn the safest way to manage your pension account.
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