Phishing

Fake emails are currently circulating from a supposed Statistics Austria email address. Recipients are asked to participate in a study on international economic relations in an email with the subject line “Anforderung von Daten zur statistischen Auswertung” on behalf of Statistics Austria. The fake emails are deceptively similar in design to those from Statistics Austria. The email address used to send them, data@statistik-gv.at, does not belong to Statistics Austria. Email addresses from Statistics Austria end with @statistik.gv.at (full stop instead of hyphen).

The number of phishing messages and malware is constantly increasing. The term phishing is a combination of the words ‘password’ and ‘fishing’ and describes the attempt to obtain sensitive data via fake messages. Such messages (e.g. emails) often look like official communications at first glance. Recipients are usually asked to disclose personal information.

How can I recognise potential phishing or fraud attempts?

By the sender:

• Statistics Austria email addresses end with @statistik.gv.at; other variants are fake.
• The name, position or academic title of the person signing the message seems suspicious or cannot be verified online.

By the content:

• The message contains linguistic errors.
• The writing style differs from that of an official institution.
• The design of the message differs from previous communications from Statistics Austria.
• Pay attention to the logo used: Is it displayed correctly and in the appropriate language version?
• The message contains a surprising or unusual request to provide personal information.
• Attached documents have confusing or unusual titles.
• The message contains threats or puts pressure on you with an unusually short deadline. 

If in doubt, visit www.statistik.at and contact info@statistik.gv.at.