Finnish public sector pension provider Keva has warned that scam text messages are circulating using its name, building on the growing number of pension providers that have raised concerns over potential scam messaging .

Keva said that the scam messages have been sent to phones as text messages, with the recipient asked to click on the link that then redirects to a page that looks like a suomi.fi identification.

According to the provider, the text messages have been using sender names such as StateKeva, MunicipalityKeva, and KEVA, and have used messages that could encourage savers to click through, including changes or delays to earnings-related pensions.

However, Keva confirmed that despite the messaging, this is not a text message sent by the provider and does not link to its website, warning savers that they should not go to the page or log in.

The provider also confirmed that it will never ask for bank account details via text message, phone call or email, and that text messages from Keva never contain attachments.

Keva is not the only fund to raise concerns in this area, as earnings-related pension company Varma also recently warned that scam text messages are circulating using its name.

In addition to this, Finnish earnings-related pension provider Ilmarinen has urged savers to be careful if they receive a text message or email claiming to be from the provider, confirming that there has been fraudulent text messages claiming to be from Ilmarinen asking you to log in to the bank on a separate website at ilmarinen.com.

Like Keva, the provider confirmed that text messages from Ilmarinen would never ask for savers' usernames or passwords, and would instead instruct savers to act through its own site.

Cyber concerns have also been rising up the agenda across the broader European pensions landscape, as Insurance Sweden recently confirmed that fraudsters are sending out emails pretending to be from the organisation in an attempt to collect data, which it believes it would then try to use to commit fraud.

A recent survey of Danish financial organisations, including several pension providers, also found that cyber threats are one of the “top concerns” of financial organisations, alongside geopolitics.

In addition to this, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) recently said that it was “worried about hacks” on pension funds and other financial institutions, warning that the “threat of a cyber-attack on the financial sector is constant”.

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority’s (EIOPA) recent IORP Risk Dashboard also found an increasing risk outlook for digitalisation and cyber risks over the next 12 months.

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