Government Gateway Phishing Scam
The Government Gateway is a UK Government Portal enabling UK citizens who have username and password to access a range of government services online.
These include the Department of Works and Pensions encompassing Jobsearch, unemployment, incapacity and retirement benefits/pensions and other UK Government departments.
You can imagine the havoc and harm that can be inflicted if someone manages to trick you by a phishing e-mail redirecting you to a fake login page whereby you unknowingly reveal your username and password details.
E-Mail received:
Date: 18/03/2025, 04:21
From: Government Gateway noreply=bounce0-com.tw@info-agenda-kdeop001googl.firebaseapp.com
Reply to: x8w4pgwk6lkgk1z0@emails.gorgias.com
Subject: updating your online access - Government Gateway [E-mail address redacted]
Notes
UK Government e-mail communications will come from a .gov.uk e-mail address and will address you personally by name. This e-mail was sent from noreply=bounce0-com.tw@info-agenda-kdeop001googl.firebaseapp.com which is no way a government e-mail address. This is also connected to the firebaseapp.com domain
The e-mail gives a reply to e-mail address of x8w4pgwk6lkgk1z0@emails.gorgias.com again it is not a government e-mail address. Gorgias.com is a website dealing with conversational AI so perhaps their mail servers have been hacked.
Another "red flag" give away is the website you are asked to login to... https://one-digitalservice.zwf.fi/abula/#[e-mail address redacted]?mode=resetPassword&oobCode=8_r33L3nj8XHpJAGihbX2rsjP5
V_ejHIR5d8DneVte0AAAGVp3yTeg&apiKey=AIzaSyCfrQc7PGpoHj4kHHyDyySDDbjh6j5FCS0
&lang=en
Again any uk government website address will be on the .gov.uk domain extension. The link appears to be to a Finnish (.fi) website. Do not click on the link, it will take you to a dangerous website.
Recommendation:
Just delete. Sad to say there will be some people somewhere who will fall for the official looking "government" e-mail.
Further Reading
Beware of Scam Emails Posing as Government Gateway Requests
Examples of phishing emails, suspicious phone calls and texts
Latest Government Gateway Phishing Scam
Government Gateway - Wikipedia
Michael Fowler
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