There is a growing risk of scam calls targeting the most vulnerable category of citizens -pensioners. The scheme relies on social engineering: criminals simulate calls from an official agency or companies managing pension savings, and under the pretext of an “accounting error”, they attempt to gain access to the victims’ money.

How the Scam Works: From “Recalculation” to Theft

The deception begins with an unexpected call: “An error was found during recalculation, you are entitled to a bonus payment, and we just need to confirm your details”. Alternatively, they may use high-pressure tactics: “You were overpaid, you must return the money immediately, or your benefits will be frozen, and your account will be blocked”.

The scammers then quickly switch the conversation to demanding action. They ask the victim to read out their passport or ID card number, the bank card number, where they receive their pension, and the SMS verification codes. In some cases, scammers lure victims to phishing websites that look exactly like official pension fund portals, prompting them to enter the required data there.

As soon as the criminals get the SMS code, they can log into the user’s online account, change the password, take out loans in their names, or drain all available funds from their accounts.

Important detail:

To look convincing, scammers use the actual names of the companies managing Armenian citizens’ pension accounts and may even fake their logos on messengers. Another dangerous tactic they use is number faking: a phone number resembling the official call center number of the management company may appear on the screen, tricking the person into trusting the call and not verifying the information.

The Legal Trap

The trap lies in the fact that the clients share the data and confirm the actions themselves. If a transaction is initiated by the account holder and verified via an SMS code, banking systems recognize it as legitimate. Once that happens, recovering the money becomes extremely difficult.

IDBank recommends:

Hang up immediately. Legitimate pension funds and management companies never resolve recalculation or refund issues over the phone. Any call demanding that you “correct your details” is a scam. Call back yourself. Find the official number on the management company’s website and call them directly. Do not call back the incoming number, even if it looks familiar. Never share SMS codes. No employee of a bank, pension fund, or government agency is authorized to ask for your one-time password, the three-digit code on the back of your card, or your online banking password. Do not click on links in messages. Check the address bar: official websites use the “.am” domain without any extra characters. Discuss this scam with your parents and elderly relatives. Generally, the older a person is, the more they tend to trust calls made on behalf of official authorities.

Remember: pension and social funds will never call demanding that you urgently “correct your data”, nor will they ask for SMS codes or direct you to third-party websites. Any such call is a major red flag. Your funds remain safe as long as you do not provide third parties with access to them.

THE BANK IS SUPERVISED BY THE CBA

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a meeting to discuss the possibility of introducing mechanisms through the universal income declaration system to enable donations to civil society organisations (CSOs), media outlets and political parties.

The information was released by the Information and Public Relations Department of the Prime Minister’s Office.

In particular, the proposal envisages introducing a new system of social allocations or expenditures for CSOs, media outlets and political parties through the personal income declaration system. 

According to the presentation, the proposed mechanism is expected to create new incentives for individuals to submit income declarations, strengthen the financial independence of CSOs and media organisations, and enhance their transparency and accountability.

Participants also stressed the importance of the initiative for the development of institutional political mechanisms. Summing up the discussion, Pashinyan said the purpose of the proposed system is to enable citizens to support civil society organisations, media outlets or political parties of their choice while ensuring transparency in funding.

 The prime minister instructed the relevant officials to finalise the draft proposal, taking into account the comments made during the discussion.

Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan met with French Minister of Culture Catherine Pégard during a working visit to France.

According to Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister Artur Martirosyan and Armenia’s Ambassador to France, Arman Khachatryan.

Welcoming her counterpart, Andreasyan thanked Pégard for the meeting and for the continued cooperation, stressing that culture is one of the key pillars of Armenia-France relations. 

The minister expressed gratitude for France’s continued partnership, noting that cultural cooperation between the two countries has intensified significantly in recent years and has considerable potential for further expansion. Andreasyan highlighted the joint exhibition organised by the History Museum of Armenia and the Louvre Museum in Paris as a successful example of bilateral cultural cooperation.

 The ministers also discussed the outcomes of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Armenia, during which several cooperation agreements, including in the field of culture, were signed.

In this context, they reviewed the results of the cooperation already achieved and explored prospects for its further development. In particular, the sides underscored the importance of the partnership established between the National Gallery of Armenia and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. 

The French side also expressed interest in establishing cooperation between the Musée d’Orsay and an Armenian museum and signalled its readiness to support joint initiatives. Andreasyan said such initiatives not only help showcase the world’s cultural heritage but also contribute to strengthening cultural dialogue between peoples. 

The meeting also covered opportunities for long-term cooperation between museums, joint exhibitions, exchanges of museum professionals, the preservation, restoration and digitisation of collections, as well as joint projects in the preservation and management of cultural heritage. 

The sides also discussed training opportunities for young professionals, contemporary art, creative industries, co-productions in filmmaking, literature, and translation programmes. 

Referring to cooperation within the International Organisation of La Francophonie, Andreasyan said Armenia attaches great importance to the organisation. 

She noted that Yerevan will host the Conference of Francophonie Ministers of Culture in July 2027, followed by the 10th Francophonie Cultural and Sports Games. 

According to the minister, the experience and support of France will be important for organising these major events, which will provide Armenia with a unique opportunity to showcase its cultural heritage, contemporary art and creative potential to the international community. 

Pégard praised the progress of cultural cooperation with Armenia and the results of joint initiatives, expressing readiness to continue collaboration in the fields of museums, cultural heritage preservation, contemporary art and cultural exchanges.

She also highlighted Armenia’s contribution to the Francophonie movement and expressed confidence that the upcoming events would be held to a high standard.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening cooperation in the field of culture.

Strong Armenia alliance leader Samvel Karapetyan has commented on the withdrawal of 105 parliamentary candidates from the alliance’s electoral list, describing the move as part of the bloc’s political strategy.

Speaking to reporters on July 9, Karapetyan was asked why 105 candidates on the alliance’s electoral list had submitted withdrawal requests.

He replied that the move was part of the alliance’s “secret plan.

”Earlier, Karapetyan had said that the alliance had a secret plan to bring about a change of government in Armenia. Asked whether the candidates who withdrew could be considered unreliable members of the team, Karapetyan said:

“They are all our teammates and remain our teammates. They have all withstood the pressure, so they cannot be considered unreliable. This is our political strategy.”

Earlier, 105 candidates on the Strong Armenia alliance’s electoral list submitted withdrawal requests to Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC).

At a meeting on July 8, the CEC annulled their registrations on the basis of those requests. 

According to the results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections held on June 7, the new National Assembly will comprise the Civil Contract party, which secured a parliamentary majority and will form the government, the Strong Armenia alliance, and the Armenia alliance. In the 9th convocation of the National Assembly, Civil Contract will hold 64 seats, the Strong Armenia alliance 29 seats, and the Armenia alliance 12 seats.

The Strong Armenia alliance has not yet decided who it will nominate for the post of deputy speaker of Armenia’s National Assembly in the parliament to be formed following the June 7 parliamentary elections.

Under Armenian law, the speaker of parliament has three deputies, two of whom are nominated by the ruling faction and one by the largest opposition force.

Following the June 7 parliamentary elections, the Strong Armenia alliance is set to become the largest opposition force in the new National Assembly.

Speaking to reporters on July 9, Strong Armenia alliance leader Samvel Karapetyan was asked whether the alliance had already decided on its nominee for the post of deputy speaker.

 “We have not discussed that issue yet. We will discuss it soon,” Karapetyan said.

 Several names have circulated in the media as potential Strong Armenia nominees for the post, including Aram Vardevanyan and Edgar Ghazaryan.

The house arrest of Strong Armenia alliance leader Samvel Karapetyan has been extended by two months. A court hearing on Karapetyan’s preventive measure was held on July 9.

The prosecution had requested a three-month extension of Karapetyan’s house arrest, but the court decided to extend it by two months.

The judge also ruled that, during the period of house arrest, Karapetyan is prohibited from communicating with individuals identified in previous court decisions issued as part of the criminal proceedings. Communication with all other individuals is permitted.

Karapetyan was charged with publicly calling for the seizure of power and the overthrow of the constitutional order. He was later also charged with money laundering. 

He was remanded in custody for two months on June 19, 2025. In January 2026, his preventive measure was changed to house arrest, which was subsequently extended for a further three months in April 2026.

Aregnaz Manukyan, a member of the Board of the Mother Armenia party, has been remanded in custody for two months.

The information was confirmed by Armenia’s Investigative Committee.

Earlier on July 9, the Investigative Committee announced that public criminal proceedings had been initiated against Manukyan under Article 427(1) of Armenia’s Criminal Code for allegedly disclosing information constituting a state secret.

Manukyan was detained, after which the Investigative Committee filed a motion with the court seeking her pre-trial detention for two months. The court granted the motion.

Slavmed Medical Center has performed Armenia’s first robotic remote surgery, marking a new milestone in the country’s healthcare sector.

The procedure was carried out by one of the world’s leading urologists, Professor Alexandre Mottrie, Head of the Urology Department at OLV Hospital in Aalst, Belgium, and Executive Director of the ORSI Academy. Operating from Belgium, more than 3,300 kilometres away, he performed surgery on a patient at Slavmed Medical Center in Yerevan.

The patient, who had early-stage prostate cancer, underwent a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. According to the medical centre, the remote procedure was completed safely and successfully, supported by the expertise of Slavmed’s medical team and the clinic’s advanced technological infrastructure.

“From the very first day of Slavmed Medical Center’s establishment, we have chosen the path of continuous development and improvement by embracing modern approaches and innovation. Performing Armenia’s first robotic remote surgery is a landmark achievement for us,” said Slavmed founder Armine Hovakimyan.

Slavmed was the first medical centre in Armenia to introduce robotic surgery and establish a specialised robotic surgical team. The successful procedure was made possible by the Toumai MT-1000 robotic surgical system, equipped with Armenia’s only dedicated module for remote surgery, as well as the clinic’s high-speed internet infrastructure.

According to the medical centre, these technologies allow surgeons to control the robotic system remotely while ensuring a safe and precise operation. Extensive preparatory work was also carried out to synchronise the robotic systems used at the two hospitals.

Mher Mkrtchyan, Head of the Urology Department at Slavmed Medical Center, who remained in the operating theatre alongside the patient throughout the procedure, said: “This is a significant milestone because medicine is beginning to transcend borders. Our patient trusted our clinic and our team and chose this option without hesitation. I was present in the operating room and was ready at any moment to continue the operation immediately if any technical issue arose, so there was never any risk to the patient’s life or health.”

With this achievement, Armenia joins the group of countries capable of providing remote robotic surgery.

Levon Grigoryan, Head of the Robotic Surgery and Endoscopic Service at Slavmed Medical Center, said the accomplishment had been made possible by implementing a comprehensive remote surgery system.

“Our goal is to ensure that every citizen of Armenia has access to medical care at the level of the world’s leading centres. This system allows the expertise of the world’s top specialists to be present in our operating theatres. It also significantly reduces costs for patients, who no longer need to travel abroad and stay there to receive the same treatment,” Grigoryan said.

Professor Alexandre Mottrie praised the cooperation between the two medical teams.

“A good collaboration is absolutely mandatory because we have to be fully aligned. Slavmed has ensured this high standard, reaffirming its role as a leaading center in the region. By introducing robotic telesurgery, the clinic enters a new era, and I want to bring my knowledge and experience into robotic surgery into your hospital in order to give it a head start.,” he said.

According to the medical centre, patient safety was ensured through multiple layers of protection, including backup communication channels in the event of connectivity disruptions, while engineering and surgical teams remained on standby at both locations throughout the procedure.

Civil Contract lawmaker Vagharshak Hakobyan has announced that he will not take up a parliamentary seat in Armenia’s newly elected National Assembly following the June 7 parliamentary elections. In a Facebook post, Hakobyan said he had decided to relinquish his mandate in the 9th convocation of the National Assembly.

“I would like to inform you that at this stage of my life I have decided to continue my career in the private sector. To that end, I have submitted an application to resign my mandate as a member of the 9th convocation of the National Assembly, which will be officially filed with Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission tomorrow.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and leader of my political team, Nikol Pashinyan, who, following the 2018 revolution, restored to the citizens of Armenia their fundamental right to elect and be elected.

“Over these years, Armenia has become a more democratic, more sovereign and more independent country, and, most importantly, a peaceful state. I can proudly say that the National Assembly and the ruling Civil Contract faction, of which I have had the honour to be a member, have played an important role on that path.

“I would also like to note that this decision was made in coordination with the Prime Minister and the Board of the Civil Contract party. I remain a full member of the party and will continue to be actively involved in its activities, supporting my political team with my full potential,” Hakobyan wrote.

 Hakobyan is ranked 50th on the Civil Contract party’s electoral list.

Armenia held parliamentary elections on June 7. The newly elected 9th convocation of the National Assembly will comprise the Civil Contract party with 64 seats, the Strong Armenia alliance with 29 seats, and the Armenia alliance with 12 seats. Civil Contract will form the new government, while Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has previously said that the composition of the cabinet will not undergo major changes.