In Ukraine, counterfeit chatbots imitating volunteer and government services are on the rise. The primary goal of these fraudsters is to obtain sensitive information or simply steal your money.
Identifying and blocking these fake accounts is quite challenging. Cyber police are working on this issue, but while one bot is taken down, another one appears.
For instance, the chatbot “Enemy” for reporting military movements has several clones, while “Ukrainiznytsi” for ticket purchases has even more. Some of these fakes may exist but are not functional, which can lead to losing your money at critical moments. All these bots are dangerous, and at any time they can deceive you during a purchase.
How to identify a fake bot?
Here are some signs:
● Fake bots look almost identical to real ones but may have an extra character in their name.
● They lack a blue verification badge or use a counterfeit one, which can be hard to distinguish.
● Often respond in Russian or have a Russian menu.
● May not work, leading to distrust in legitimate government services.
To verify if the bot you're using is fake, use the “Botchecker” tool on the Dovidka.info website.
What is Botchecker and how does it work?
This is a database of verified chatbots created by specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications together with the cyber police. Over the past three years, more than 100,000 users have utilized Botchecker.
“In wartime, we started actively creating chatbots for quick communication with citizens, but fakes emerged. Botchecker helps identify these fakes, protecting people from fraud,” says Mykola Balaban, Deputy Head of the Center for Strategic Communications.
How to use Botchecker?
- Enter the name or link of the chatbot into the search field.
- Get information about its authenticity and developer.
- If the bot seems suspicious, report it to the cyber police via @stopdrugsbot on Telegram.
Be cautious! Don’t let the enemy deceive you and gain access to your data!