Ukrainians have been warned about a new wave of phishing attacks, in which cybercriminals are sending out large numbers of fake emails that mimic messages from the State Tax Service of Ukraine. The State Tax Service’s press office reported this, urging citizens to exercise the utmost caution.
The statement notes that recently, Ukrainians have been receiving letters in their mailboxes purporting to be official correspondence from the tax authority regarding a “financial audit concerning the legalization of funds” involving a specific company or institution. Lesya Karnaukh, acting head of the State Tax Service, emphasized that these messages are completely fake and that the service has no connection to them whatsoever.
According to agency officials, opening the attachments in such emails could result in your computer becoming infected with viruses. These malicious programs allow scammers to gain unauthorized access to a user’s system, including personal data, passwords, or bank accounts.
The Tax Service officially states that it never sends emails from unknown domains or unverified email addresses. All genuine messages come only through official communication channels, so any suspicious emails should be deleted immediately without opening any attachments or clicking on any links.
The agency also notes that cybercriminals are increasingly using similar tactics—falsifying email addresses and message designs—to mislead users. Therefore, Ukrainians are urged to carefully check the sender, the spelling in the text, and the content of the email—official institutions do not send documents that require immediate opening or clicking on links.
The Tax Service advises that if you receive such a letter, you should immediately report the incident to the State Tax Service hotline or the National Cyber Incident Response Center.
It was also previously reported that scammers are coming up with new ways to deceive people—in particular, by creating fake online surveys in the name of banks or posting attractive job openings with minimal requirements and promises of high salaries. Cybersecurity experts emphasize that the only reliable way to protect yourself is to avoid opening suspicious emails and to regularly update your antivirus software.