Fake letters from government agencies: why there are more of them and how to spot fraud
12 March 13:13
In Ukraine, there was a mass mailing of emails that appeared to come from the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine.
The messages contained attachments with malicious software that could infect the recipients’ computers.
Such attacks are a common tool used by cybercriminals, who disguise their messages as official letters from government agencies.
Global trend of digital fraud
Cybersecurity expert Kostyantyn Korsun explained in a comment to "Komersant Ukrainian" that it is difficult to determine the exact statistics on the number of such emails.
According to him, there are only subjective estimates, as Ukraine does not have a unified system that records all such cases.
However, the global trend is clear:
- the more society moves online
- the more cyber threats and digital fraud appear.
The Internet as a “mirror of society”
According to the expert, the Internet actually reflects real society, but with one important feature — the illusion of anonymity.
It is this illusion that allows fraudsters to
- disguise their identity
- create fake emails
- impersonate government agencies or companies.
The more people work, communicate, and spend time online, the more opportunities there are for cybercriminals.
How to verify the authenticity of an email
The expert advises first of all to pay attention to the sender’s address.
Many email services only display a name or nickname, which anyone can write.
Therefore, you need to:
- open the sender’s full address
- check the domain after the “@” symbol
- make sure it matches the official addresses.
The main rule: the domain gov.ua
According to Kostyantyn Korsun, the official email addresses of Ukrainian government agencies usually have the domain gov.ua.
This means that:
- an email from an address ending in gov.ua is, in most cases, genuine
- addresses with other domains may be fraudulent.
For example, fake websites may look similar — such as mvs.com.ua — but are not official.
Why phishing is becoming more effective
Cybercriminals often use mass mailings, counting on the fact that at least some people will:
- will open the attachment
- will follow the link
- or enter their data.
As a result, even a small percentage of victims can bring significant profits to fraudsters.
Phishing attacks are one of the most common types of cybercrime in the world.
In the case of mass mailings, fraudsters most often disguise themselves as:
- government agencies
- banks
- postal services
- large companies.
