“Cybercrime” from Gmail: a new deception scheme in Greece

Greek police warn about new phishing email allegedly on behalf of ΕΛ.ΑΣ.. Citizens are urged not to reply to letters or open attachments.

Greek Police (ΕΛ.ΑΣ.) warned citizens about a new attempt at electronic fraud: attackers are sending letters that imitate official messages from government and European cybersecurity structures.

As reported main office of ΕΛ.ΑΣ.a fraudulent letter comes supposedly from the name National Cyber ​​Security AuthorityEuropean cybersecurity structures and even mentioning the name of the boss Greek Police.

Email is specified as sender The email address is protected from spambots. Javascript must be enabled in your browser to view the address.and the subject of the letter is “ΕΙΣΒΟΛΗ ΚΥΒΕΡΝΟΕΓΚΛΗΜΑΤΟΣ” (“cybercrime intrusion”). The Gmail address alone should set off a person’s internal siren, but scammers, as usual, rely not on attentiveness, but on fear.

How the scheme works

The letter falsely states that “National Cyber ​​Security Authority of Greece” allegedly identified cyber threats associated with the recipient. To give the appearance of officiality, scammers refer to:

• Greek Police (ΕΛ.ΑΣ.);
• European Cybercrime Center (EC3);
• European organizations;
• boss’s name ΕΛ.ΑΣ..

The text of the letter is designed to create fear and a sense of urgency in the recipient. Language is used about “immediate response”, “sanctions”, “arrest within 24 hours” and alleged violations of Greek law and EU.

At the end of the letter, the scammers indicate the boss as the “signatory” Greek PoliceLieutenant General Dimitrios Mallios. Of course, he himself and the services ΕΛ.ΑΣ. have nothing to do with this newsletter.

What does the police remind you of?

ΕΛ.ΑΣ. emphasizes: this letter is an attempt phishing scams and is not associated with official services.

Police remind citizens:

• official addresses ΕΛ.ΑΣ. don’t use email services like @gmail.com;
• ΕΛ.ΑΣ. does not send letters to citizens demanding explanations in allegedly criminal cases;
• the police do not threaten by email with arrest, fines or terms of “voluntary execution”;
• the use of officials’ names, logos and department names does not prove the authenticity of the letter.

What should recipients do?

Citizens are recommended:

• do not respond to such letters;
• do not open attachments;
• do not follow links;
• do not enter personal, banking or other sensitive data;
• delete the message immediately;
• report to ΕΛ.ΑΣ.if a response has already been given or any data has been transmitted.

Editorial comment

Such schemes work not because they are technically brilliant. They work because they put pressure on the simplest human mechanism – fear of the state.

Fraudsters have long understood: if you write to a person in the name of “police”, “prosecutor’s office” or “European authority”, add the words “arrest”, “sanctions” and “24 hours”, then many will stop thinking and begin to panic. And panic is a scammer’s best assistant. Thanks to evolution, I let you down again.

The sender’s address is especially indicative: gmail.com in a letter purportedly from the Greek police. It looks funny, but it is precisely such crude schemes that still catch people, because the victim does not look at the address, but at the threat.

The main rule is simple: government agencies do not conduct “criminal cases” through suspicious letters, do not demand urgent explanations by email and do not threaten arrest in the style of a cheap thriller.

Conclusion: if the letter is frightening, hurried and requires an immediate response, it should not be opened, but checked. In the digital environment, calmness and distrust of fancy “official” words are often the best defense.

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