Bitdefender: Scam emails asking for donations for Gaza target Romania

A report by Romanian antivirus company Bitdefender has underlined that cybercriminals are exploiting the crises in Israel and Gaza to financially benefit from users' solidarity, with Romania being in the top 3 countries targeted.

A few days after the Hamas terrorist attack, fraudulent email campaigns were observed, with 27% of spam reaching Russia, followed by Sweden (15%) and Romania (10%). These findings were published by the security company Bitdefender, which warns that "cybercriminals may soon focus on other countries."

Researchers at Bitdefender Antispam Lab cited by G4Media first noticed Israel war-themed spam campaigns on October 13.

“Many of the spam emails were directed toward inboxes in Russia, followed by Sweden, Romania, Iran, and India, as well as the US, Japan, Germany, and the UK. The email scams are similar to the spam trends observed by our researchers from the war in Ukraine, specifically crypto donations and advance-fee scams, piggybacking on the humanitarian crisis, and victims on both sides of the conflict. Despite thousands of victims and the genuine need for assistance, cybercriminals continue their spam attacks without scruples, masquerading as both victims and false charities to con internet users out of hard-earned money and deprive those who are truly in need of help,” the report says.

Experts recommend "maximum caution when opening emails requesting help and visiting charity websites, as there are currently significant risks of financial losses and fraudulent activities." Bitdefender estimates that "this type of fraudulent email will be regularly delivered to users worldwide, and scammers will continue to adapt their stories and donation requests in line with the latest news and updates about the conflict."

The security company advises users to carefully verify all communications related to the war, whether through email, phone, text, or social networks, and to always verify the respective organization before making any payments. In particular, "requests for donations in cryptocurrencies, bank transfers, and gift cards are danger signals and should always be avoided," according to the experts.

(Photo source: Grenar |