A new online scam in Bulgaria promises every Bulgarian citizen a 200-euro "UN social payment," with the link sent out from hijacked accounts on a messaging app.

Scammers first take over someone's account, then message the groups the owner belongs to. The message promises the money will arrive within 30 minutes and claims the sender has already received it.

The scam is more dangerous because the message doesn't come from an unknown number or an obviously fake profile, but from a name people in the group know. The method is classic phishing: a promise of easy money and a link to an outside page. The page asks for personal details, bank card information and other sensitive data.

It's not clear whether the messages go out automatically or whether they reach all of the victim's contacts.

No UN program pays 200 euros to every Bulgarian citizen. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says on its website that no cash aid program is planned for Bulgaria in 2026.

The aid actually being paid in Bulgaria has nothing to do with the UN. Bulgaria's Social Assistance Agency is paying a one-off 50 euros to help with higher fuel and food prices under the "inflation check" scheme. The money goes to certain vulnerable groups, not everyone, and payments began on October 1.

The interior ministry says links like these are one of the main tools online scammers use. Police are telling people not to hand over bank card numbers, confirmation codes, passwords or other personal details on pages opened from unsolicited messages.

If the message comes from someone you know, contact that person through another channel before clicking the link, to check they really sent it. Anyone who suspects an account has been hijacked should also report it to the platform itself.