How to identify fake DOGE fraud compensation emails

What kind of email is "DOGE Compensation To Fraud Victims Worldwide"?

Upon inspection, we determined that the "DOGE Compensation To Fraud Victims Worldwide" email is fake. This spam message claims to be from the US government offering compensation to fraud victims worldwide. This phishing mail targets recipients' personal information and may request payment at a later date.

"DOGE Compensation To Fraud Victims Worldwide" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Compensation" (may vary) claims to be a message from the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency). It states that the US government has approved a fund of 500 billion USD to compensate fraud victims worldwide. The recipient can apply for their compensation by following the provided link.

It must be stressed that all the information in this email is false, and this mail is in no way associated with DOGE or any other governmental entities.

This email promotes a phishing website presented as a compensation form requesting the applicant to provide their full name, address, email, WhatsApp or Telegram phone number, and the amount of money they have been scammed out of.

Phishing sites record entered information and send it to scammers. With this data in their possession, cyber criminals can create personalized scams to trick victims into parting with their money. Other nefarious activities, such as identity theft, might also be carried out. It is possible that this scheme shares elements with technical support or refund scams.

To summarize, victims of spam emails can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft. If you have disclosed your personally identifiable or finance-related information – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"TD Bank email scam", "Binance - Urgent Security Alert", "Standard Bank - VAT Increase", and "Unclaimed Prize" are merely some of our latest articles on phishing emails.

These messages primarily target personally identifiable details, finance-related information, and log-in credentials (e.g., email, social media, e-commerce, entertainment service, online banking, and other accounts). Various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is used in malware distribution.

Due to how prevalent spam emails are and how well-crafted they can be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware through virulent files that can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. Infectious files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening such a file can be enough to trigger the infection chain. However, some formats require additional interaction to initiate malware download/installation. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., content/editing), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We recommend vigilance with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

However, malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being careful when browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. All programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal software activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

It is essential for device/user safety to have a dependable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "DOGE Compensation To Fraud Victims Worldwide" spam email letter:

Subject: Compensation

The US Government through our office (DOGE) has approved $500 Billion to compensate victims of fraud worldwide. Therefore, if you wish to receive your lost money, you can apply from the form link below:

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Best regards,

Amy Gleason (Acting Administrator)
Department of Government Efficiency

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Appearance of the phishing website promoted by this spam campaign (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is "DOGE Compensation To Fraud Victims Worldwide" phishing email?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using  Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Spam emails are not personal, even if they include information relevant to the recipients. These messages are sent out in large-scale campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) emails.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?

If you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you've disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Reading an email does not pose an infection threat; devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?

Whether the device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. Executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail (once opened). However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) – may require additional actions. Hence, malware infiltration is only triggered after macros are enabled, embedded files/links are clicked, or other actions are performed.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that running a full system scan is essential since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems.