ZUS warns of high‑fee intermediaries targeting disability benefit applicants

Polish Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) has issued a warning after numerous reports of firms and individuals offering paid assistance with applications for the supporting disability benefit. The intermediaries demand fees ranging from several thousand to over twenty‑two thousand złoty, sometimes charging multiples of the benefit amount. ZUS stresses that applications are submitted free of charge and only electronically, and that its staff provide assistance at no cost. Cases were reported in the Żywiec and Wodzisław Śląski offices, including a woman whose mother signed a contract for help that cost six times the benefit, and a client whose pension payments were mistakenly redirected to a middle‑man firm. ZUS advises beneficiaries and their families to be cautious, to verify any offers, and to contact the nearest ZUS office, the ZUS Customer Contact Centre (22 560 16 00) or the police if fraud is suspected. "ZUS employees never propose paid services or ask for power of attorney," said regional spokesperson Beata Kopczyńska.