Fraudsters from the Russian Federation are massively creating cloned chatbots of government and volunteer organizations. They may look like official services, but their real goal is to steal personal data, money, or even strategically important information.
Among the most popular fakes is a chatbot «"Ukrzaliznytsia"», which already has five fake copies, and a chatbot isEnemy with six doppelgangers. Some of them simply don't work, while others can steal funds or transmit data to the enemy.
To protect Ukrainians from the actions of fraudsters, specialists from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security "Dovidka.Info" together with the Cyber Police of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the State Service
Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine developed Instructions for using a special database of verified Ukrainian chatbots - “Botchecker”.
«"In three years, 100 thousand people have used the botchecker. We developed it in 2022, when the need for quick communication between government agencies and citizens increased. The enemy immediately began to create fakes. Our botchecker helps you independently check the chatbot and avoid falling into the trap of scammers," said Mykola Balaban, Deputy Head of the Center for Strategic Communications.
Before using bots, experts advise you to check them using Botchecker, not to enter personal data in suspicious chats, and to trust only official resources.
To use “Botchecker” you need to enter search field the name or link to the chatbot, where you will receive information about its authenticity, developer, and the number of fake clones.
If the bot is not in the database and it seems suspicious, notify the cyber police via the chatbot @stopdrugsbot (BRAMA on Telegram). Experts will check it and, if it turns out to be hostile, take measures to block it.