There is a spread of dangerous informational disinformation on social media: new fake accounts have appeared, masquerading as official profiles of high-ranking Ukrainian officials
Particular attention should be paid to cases involving the creation of fraudulent pages that impersonate President Volodymyr Zelensky, First Lady Olena Zelenska, head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, and Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) chief Vasyl Maliuk. These facts have been documented by the Center for Counteracting Disinformation (CCD), which reported a shocking situation: "The Center recorded the creation of fake accounts of President Volodymyr Zelensky, First Lady Olena Zelenska, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, and SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk on the Telegram messenger," according to an official statement. The CCD emphasized that all official representatives of high-ranking officials have verified profiles with appropriate "check marks," confirming their authenticity. It is noted that Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram have their official accounts, distinguishable by a blue checkmark and other verification elements. For example, the activities of Vasyl Maliuk, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, are only reported through the official SBU account, which has also undergone verification. Meanwhile, all other accounts are fraudulent imitations created with the overt goal of misleading the public and spreading false information. Additionally, the CCD highlights that scammers often use old or abandoned profiles of cryptocurrency exchanges, transforming them into fake pages mimicking official government accounts. This is done to confuse users and attract their attention to false news or even carry out financial scams. Experts urge the public to be extremely cautious when working with information sources online. They remind that account verification is the only way to protect oneself from fakes and scams. Official pages of high-ranking officials bear relevant badges and are posted on verified channels, while any other accounts without such confirmations should be approached with caution and critical thinking. Overall, the rise of fake accounts amid active information warfare underscores the importance of heightened awareness of information sources and the non-distribution of unverified data. Ukrainian specialists continue working to uncover and block such fakes to protect the public from disinformation attacks and to preserve the diplomatic reputation of the state institutions on the global stage.