A global cyber security firm has revealed a major spike in the number of fake emails purporting to be charities bringing aid to Ukraine amid the invasion.
The type of scams seeing the highest level of activity are crypto, and are using tag lines like “Help Ukraine,” “Help Ukraine war victims,” and “Help Ukraine stop the war!” according to Cyren.
Since the violent invasion began, Ukraine has received more than €50 million in crypto donations, and so fraudsters saw their opportunity to strike and took it.
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The experts at Cyren revealed that there are thousands of people that donate and believe they are helping Ukraine, however, the donation is not making it to those in need, but rather into the pockets of criminals.
New research released by the firm identified more than 100,000 scam emails are being received every day in the US and beyond.
The emails reportedly originate from all over the globe, in countries like Indonesia, Brazil, India, South Africa and Colombia.
They are sent from false email addresses with domain endings related to Ukraine so that they appear real to the victim.
How It Works
Cyren says scammers are building websites with ease online and are buying domains that look legitimate including the right words to target victims.
Then they send mass emails to accounts found through online systems containing links to their website.
It can be incredibly hard to identify these fake websites because many real charities have recently created new platforms supporting war victims.
Social media
Due to the sheer volume of people now donating via social media platforms, cyber criminals are also targeting that same market.
So, it’s not just false emails and text messages that you need to look out for but also messages in your social media profile’s inbox.
The Cyren research team has shown fake donation scams across Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Keep safe
When donating to a cause, people should take the time to verify that the source is real and supported by an actual charity.
Although this can be difficult, especially when Ukraine charities are accepting donations via crypto apps, individuals can take the following steps to protect themselves:
- Scrutinize all emails that ask you to follow a link
- Look for grammatical inconsistencies, spelling errors, and incorrect logos
- Do not open attachments or follow website links, especially as it relates to financial donations
- Bypass the middleman and go directly to legitimate websites to make donations.
READ MORE: Cybersecurity experts warn of scammers taking advantage of those donating to Ukraine
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