Kevin I called it when the crisis in Ukraine started, and sad to say, it’s become a thing. The Pennsylvania Attorney General shares tips on ways to avoid Ukraine donation scams. In New Jersey, there have been reports of scammers pretending to be displaced Ukrainian nationals.
If you’re new here, the Spammers’ Showcase is where I take screenshots of the lame spam comments and emails I get, and I roast ’em for your entertainment. As much as I hate to admit this, I’ve already gotten spam regarding the crisis in Ukraine.
Since we’re long overdue for another installment of the Spammers’ Showcase, I’ve decided to make today’s post solely about the Ukraine spam I’ve gotten. It’s only two messages, but I’m afraid this is only the beginning.
First up, we’ve got this thing o’beauty.
Thanks so much for your efforts in helping the citizens and nationals of Ukraine during these terrible times. I know there are a ton of people in Russia who oppose and condemn their country leadership’s actions, and I’m stoked to see you’re one of ’em.
Yeah fuckin’ right. Using the crisis in Ukraine to scam and spam people is despicable on so many levels.
Text reads “Help the Ukrainians leave the war zone – https : // no-war. site /” After running this link through a link checker, it came back as either being unavailable in the U.S., or the site was down. Since this email originated from the Russian Federation, specifically Leningradskaya Oblast, Kingisepp.
I would like to take this moment to state that this is in no way a statement against the citizens of Russia who opposed the actions of their government, and that they’re victims in this too.
Switching gears to our second scam and spam email about Ukraine (so far, anyway), I present you with this. I got it earlier today, and I was at a loss for words. Let’s dive in.
Check this out, we’ve got a group calling itself “UkrainAid,” complete with a top domain name of “.ukraine.”
Totally not sus, gaiz!
Let’s read on, shall we?
Ok, this is a group related to Mykhailo Federov. We need specifics, not just a super-vague name drop. How else are we gonna know you’re legit? Do tell us the “two ways how you can help the Ukranian people.” The first one is “financially supporting us.”
But wait a sec. Didn’t you just say “the Ukranian people?” implying that you’re not one? And before that, didn’t you say “The Ukranian people are under the threat of the Russian army, we need your help.”
Pick a story and stick to it, bud.
I’ll just bet you’re “happy with all the help we receive.” I’m doubting any money you suck in from whoever takes your bait will ever go to the citizens and nationals of Ukraine. Amirite or amirite?
Lookie here, you even included directions on how to donate to Ukraine, involving flippin’ Bitcoin. Of course you got a story for everything, with the whole bit about the banks in Ukraine shutting down. I’m guessing their banks have online options just like any other country’s banks do.
With the reference to the internet from Elon Musk you shoehorned in this train wreck of a scam email, I’m seriously hoping that won’t be an issue.
Go pound sand, you lame jerk fuck. And quit preying on law-abiding citizens looking to help others from a country at war while you’re at it.
According to the email lookup, this message’s original location was Seattle, WA. However, it came from Emerald Onion, part of the Tor router network, a popular way to access the dark web. Basically, there’s no telling where the sender’s actually located. “UkrainAid” isn’t even a real charity. Email address is also fake on this one.
Tor is a legitimate browser with many valid uses, like if you live in an area where state- and/or federally-sanctioned censorship is a thing. Unfortunately, Tor’s gotten a bad rap in recent news reports about a certain someone whose initials are similar to that of Juris Doctor, and Job Description, who chose to use it to engage in illegal activities involving minors.
In any case, I’ve reported the Bitcoin wallet cited in the email to Atomic Wallet. First of all, I need to make it clear that Atomic Wallet is a legitimate cryptocurrency service. A scammer is using their services to engage in lawbreaking ways, and they deserve to know about it.
I’m currently waiting to hear back from their customer service team, and will update this accordingly.
Over to you, readers. Have you gotten spam emails looking to capitalize on what’s happening in Ukraine? If not, I hope it stays that way.
