Group-IB informed about the distribution of fake news about 20 thousand coronaviruses infected in Moscow

A fake audio recording appeared on the Internet, where the girl reports about 20 thousand cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in Moscow and asks to spread this information as much as possible. This was announced on March 2 by the Chairman of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for the development of the information community, Alexander Malkevich.

Group-IB’s cyberattack prevention team urge not to trust information from unconfirmed sources.
This information is distributed in the social networks Vkontakte and Facebook from different users but in identical formulations. The audience that took this news seriously became mainly female groups in messengers at kindergartens and schools. Group-IB specialists recorded more than 9500 publications with this news and started searching for performers and customers of this information attack.

This is not the first time such fake news about the coronavirus has appeared since the beginning of 2020. In some regions of Russia, rumors spread that “because of the high level of danger, the whole family had to leave the city”, “official sources report hundreds of deaths”. Moreover, fakes about coronavirus are spread not only in Russia but also around the world. In particular, more than 40 media reported false information that the Pope became infected with the coronavirus.

According to experts, information about 20 thousand cases in Moscow may be the result of the work of the information forces of Ukraine.

In addition, information security experts of Group-IB have already identified the fact of artificial distribution of voice messages.

Official authorities have repeatedly noted that only a few cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed throughout Russia: two in Chinese citizens, as well as three Russians evacuated to Kazan from the Diamond Princess liner.