LKA Lower Saxony: Warning of phishing mail from “Federal Government”
A current wave of phishing is flushing fake emails purporting to come from the federal government into the inboxes of potential victims.
The State Criminal Police Office of Lower Saxony warns of a current wave of phishing. Potential victims are currently receiving fake emails claiming to be from the federal government. Allegedly, verification of the credit card data is necessary in order to avoid being blocked.
The scammers write in the email that the payment card no longer conforms to a “PSD2” directive from the European Union. The reason could be that a one-time verification had to be carried out. The verification must be done by August 31, otherwise the card will be blocked for 180 days.
Matching domain at first glance
If email recipients follow the “Confirm identity” link, they end up on a website in the domain bundesregierung.de-verification.eu. At first glance, at only cursory inspection, it looks plausible and unsuspicious. In the warning from the LKA Lower Saxony, the authority shows screenshots of the fraudulent websites.
The site attempts to elicit several important personal details from the victim: last name, first name, date of birth, email address, and credit card number, expiration date, and security number. If you have diligently entered the data, you will be rewarded with a page that confirms the process after you have sent it. The site then redirects to the real website of the federal government to give it a more serious appearance.
Of course, the email is a fraudulent forgery. The federal government does not check bank card data. If users become victims of the scam, the LKA Lower Saxony recommends having the credit card blocked immediately, for example by dialing the blocking emergency call 116 116. They should also report it to the online guard.
