Bitdefender has published research showing how, less than 24 hours after the start of the Ukrainian crisis, cybercriminals have already begun to take advantage of it. Many of them have indeed begun to speculate on the situation organizing a first attempt at online scams. Let’s find out all the details together.
Cybercriminals take advantage of the crisis in Ukraine
Bitdefender reported that thousands of fraudulent email with the subject: “urgent transfer from Ukraine” have clogged the mailboxes from all over Europe, Asia and the United States. As you can see from the image above, the email appears to be sent from a woman living in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine. In the email, the woman wants advice on where he could move to flee his country.
The 91% of posts it comes from an IP address in the Netherlands. The 61% of emails is addressed to South Korea, the 10% to Ireland and the 6% to the United States. Finally the 5% it is registered in Denmark and Sweden. Lower percentagesinstead, they are registered in the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and even India.
Now the most important question: what happens if i reply to the email?
Although the initial email appears to be asking recipients only “advice” and does not ask to transfer money, the scammers behind this attack will press the emotion button and they will ask to send money to help the town escape from her country.
Following the Russian invasion, the digital community e i world governments they are preparing to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine and its citizens, many of them they expressed their support online and on hundreds of social media groups created within hours of the conflict.
It is therefore not surprising that scammers and cybercriminals are taking advantage of this situation. We therefore ask you to pay close attention and of always evaluate sourcesbefore sending money.
Bitdefender expects other campaigns of this type in the coming days and weeks. For this reason it invites all citizens to keep the guard level high and recommends be wary of any unsolicited email leveraging the war in Ukraine.