Scammers have a new tactic: impersonating DOGE | FedScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"An email reviewed by Scoop News Group and analyzed by Proofpoint reveals the latest attempt by fraudsters to capitalize on confusion over the Elon Musk-created group.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fedscoop.com\/doge-email-scam-personal-information\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scammers have a new tactic: impersonating DOGE\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An email reviewed by Scoop News Group and analyzed by Proofpoint reveals the latest attempt by fraudsters to capitalize on confusion over the Elon Musk-created group.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fedscoop.com\/doge-email-scam-personal-information\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FedScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:publisher\" 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ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--event js-stickybar\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.264661654135\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"34.281990521327\">\n<p> An email reviewed by Scoop News Group and analyzed by Proofpoint reveals the latest attempt by fraudsters to capitalize on confusion over the Elon Musk-created group. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/fedscoop\/85559\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge-1.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge-1.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge-1.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge-1.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge-1.jpg?resize=505,337 505w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge-1.jpg?resize=1012,675 1012w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1012px) 100vw, 1012px\"><figcaption> Elon Musk shows off a shirt that says “DOGE” as he walks on the South Lawn of the white House after stepping off Marine One upon arrival to the White House in Washington, D.C. on March 9, 2025. (Photo by OLIVER CONTRERAS\/AFP via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"54.34466117032\"><body readability=\"109.90158534075\"><\/p>\n<p>Scammers are impersonating the Department of Government Efficiency in an effort to steal personal information and possibly take advantage of people who believe they\u2019ll receive direct compensation from the Elon Musk-created group\u2019s supposed efforts to cut down on waste, fraud and abuse. <\/p>\n<p>An email reviewed by Scoop News Group, and subsequently analyzed by experts at the cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, revealed a new scheme that involved scammers pretending to be a DOGE agent looking to steal personal information. <\/p>\n<p>The message was sent to close to 1,800 email addresses and to more than 350 organizations, Proofpoint found. While the effort didn\u2019t appear to be targeted, recipient email accounts were affiliated with colleges and universities, transit entities, as well as government and other organizations. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cU.S. government impersonation is a very common theme for business email compromise and fraud actors and DOGE \u2026 now that it exists, would be part of that, especially for threat actors who had their finger on the pulse of what\u2019s going on, people who are paying attention to what\u2019s in the news, what\u2019s being talked about,\u201d explained Selena Larson, a staff threat researcher at Proofpoint.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The email said it was sent from an Agent Daniels with the \u201cDOGE Coordination Unit,\u201d with the subject line \u201cDOGE Community Access.\u201d The email claims that the recipient has been given a specific ID and an option to message an agent affiliated with DOGE, and from an non-existent \u201cDivision of Government & Economic Development.\u201d It seems to be soliciting support in DOGE\u2019s efforts and directed people to chat on a separate online platform. <\/p>\n<p>After Scoop News Group flagged the email to Proofpoint, analysts at the company were able to interact with the apparent fraudster, whose lure link brought them to a WhatsApp chat, Larson said. The person identified themselves as \u201cyour assigned personal agent from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been authorized by the federal government to issue tax refunds to eligible citizens from funds recovered from improper government expenditures.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The scammer sent Proofpoint a PDF to fill out for the refund, a move the company assessed was designed to get the recipient to share sensitive personally identifiable information (PII), \u201cwhich can lead to fraud, impersonation, [and] other follow-on potential activities,\u201d Larson said. IP addresses related to the scheme appeared to be coming from southern Nigeria, Proofpoint found. <\/p>\n<p>The White House confirmed that the email was not from the government. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFederal employees should remain vigilant about spam, phishing attempts, and suspicious messages in their government email accounts,\u201d a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management told Scoop News Group. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cQuestionable emails should be reported through the relevant agency\u2019s designated channels and OPM advises all federal employees to avoid clicking on any unknown links or attachments. For more information on cybersecurity best practices, federal workers should visit <a href=\"http:\/\/opm.gov\/cybersecurity.\">opm.gov\/cybersecurity<\/a>,\u201d the spokesperson added. <\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency similarly emphasized that most official government communications will originate from a .gov domain and there are \u201ckey actions to verify online communications.\u201d The spokesperson said they were not previously aware of this particular scheme.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe would like to remind the public of key actions to verify online communications. Be cautious of urgent or emotionally appealing messages, requests for personal or financial information, untrusted shortened URLs, and incorrect email addresses or links,\u201d they said. <\/p>\n<p>The effort comes amid ongoing attempts to take advantage of confusion over DOGE. Proofpoint researchers have previously caught ransomware attackers impersonating far-right figure Nick Fuentes with terminology related to the group, and <a href=\"https:\/\/cyble.com\/blog\/doge-big-balls-ransomware-edward-coristine\/\">other cyber firms<\/a> have seen the use of other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trendmicro.com\/en_us\/research\/25\/d\/fog-ransomware-concealed-within-binary-loaders-linking-themselve.html\">prominent DOGE names<\/a>. McAfee has also seen a small number of scammers try to exploit people by associating themselves with \u201cDOGE.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Larson said that Proofpoint has seen other DOGE-related email campaigns as well, mostly with fraud in mind. Larson said one of the messages, supposedly from a \u201cU.S. federal compensation bureau,\u201d reads: \u201cIn addition to the U.S. Department of Justice, the FTC, CISA and DOGE have approved compensation of $3 million.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Adding to confusion is that in the early weeks of DOGE\u2019s efforts, actual government communication from OPM <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-administration-confuses-government-workers-email-test-message\/\">came off as suspicious<\/a>, leading some federal workers to report the email as spam. DOGE\u2019s website also included a series of security vulnerabilities when launched and was, at one point, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\/612865\/doge-government-website-database-security-open\">susceptible<\/a> to being edited by the public. <\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"0.51304347826087\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Rebecca Heilweil and Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__container\">\n<h2 class=\"popular-stories__title\"> More Scoops <\/h2>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">FedScoop TV<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/main> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--bottom \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"interstitial\" class=\"welcome__container\"> <button id=\"close-modal-1\" class=\"welcome__clickable_area\"><\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"welcome__ad_wrapper\">\n<p> <button id=\"close-modal-3\" class=\"welcome__continue-button\">Continue to FedScoop<\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/body> <a href=\"https:\/\/fedscoop.com\/doge-email-scam-personal-information\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scammers have a new tactic: impersonating DOGE | FedScoop Skip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[288],"tags":[294],"class_list":["post-7771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-threats","tag-threats"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","chromenews-featured":"","chromenews-large":"","chromenews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Cyber Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/threats\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Threats<\/a>","tag_info":"Threats","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7771\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":7771,"date":"2025-06-30T14:50:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T19:50:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=85035"},"modified":"2025-06-30T14:50:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T19:50:27","slug":"scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/06\/30\/scammers-have-a-new-tactic-impersonating-doge\/","title":{"rendered":"Scammers have a new tactic: impersonating DOGE"},"content":{"rendered":"