Cyberpolice exposed the distributor of a fake application that completely copied the design of the state application “Diia”
15-year-old Nikolaev on a paid basis created for citizens any document - from ID-passport to Covid certificate. According to preliminary data, about 30 customers contacted him who managed to purchase a fake “Action”. Currently, all of them are installed by law enforcement officers.
The illegal activity of the young man was exposed by the investigators of the Nikolaev district police department and cyber police of the Nikolaev area under the procedural guidance of the district prosecutor's office of the city. Nikolaev.
Law enforcement officers found that on the basis of the cross-platform environment of mobile application development, the guy created a fake mobile application that completely copied the mobile application of the official Unified State Services Portal “Diia” from the outside. In the fake program, users were given the opportunity to create any document presented in the “Actions”, on which a QR code was generated, but not read by the official application. In particular, users could change their age, add any photo or fake a certificate of vaccination against coronavirus disease.
The young man sold a fake application in the messenger for the amount of 250 to 650 hryvnia. The difference in the amount depended on the functionality and completeness of the changes allowed in the application. Promoting his development, he noted that anyone can get a Covid-19 vaccination certificate and other official document. The teenager worked only under the condition of a full subscription to his electronic wallet of one of the payment services of the aggressor country, from which he then withdrew funds to the card account. After payment, the teenager sent the customer an archive with the software, the client only had to install it on his own smartphone.
As a result of the authorized search, the police found on the computer equipment and smartphone of the young man the source files of the fake mobile application “Diya”, correspondence with buyers and information about its sale and the funds received. Physical evidence (computer equipment, smartphone, data stores and software) was seized by investigators and sent for examination.
On this fact, the investigators opened criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Art. 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine “Unauthorized interference in the operation of electronic computers (computers), automated systems, computer networks or telecommunication networks”, the sanction of the article provides for imprisonment for up to three years.
Also, cyber police take measures to block all channels of distribution of the fake application.
Department of communication of the police of the Nikolaev area
