Insurance fraud scams in Slovenia and Slovakia

In late July 2026, Slovenia’s public health insurer ZZZS warned citizens about a surge of phishing emails and SMS messages that pretended to offer refunds, urging recipients to click fraudulent links and disclose banking details. The warning emphasized that the insurer never requests personal or financial information via unsolicited electronic communication and advised users to verify sender addresses and report any breaches.

A week later, Slovak authorities reported a related wave of fraud, this time using phone‑number spoofing to impersonate staff of the country’s Social Insurance agency. The calls, often targeting pensioners, claimed benefits were suspended unless payment details were provided. While larger telecoms have begun deploying caller‑ID authentication, many smaller networks remain vulnerable, allowing the scams to bypass verification. Both countries urged the public to confirm any requests through official hotlines and to contact banks and police if personal data had been shared.

On 2 August 2026, the Slovak Police issued a fresh warning about increasingly sophisticated SMS scams that claim a mobile phone has fallen into a toilet and direct recipients to a WhatsApp link where personal data or money are demanded. The Financial Administration of Slovakia also alerted citizens to fraudulent e‑mails impersonating tax officials and promising tax‑refund payments, which request banking credentials. Authorities advised ignoring such links, verifying senders through trusted channels, deleting suspicious messages, and contacting police if any personal information has been disclosed.