RÚV logo misused in false news scams targeting social media users in Iceland

Reports have emerged that the RÚV logo is being misused in false news on social media to deceive users. A cybersecurity expert advises the public to exercise healthy skepticism online.

Numerous tips have been received at the news division indicating that the RÚV emblem is being featured in misleading posts, primarily on Facebook. These posts often attempt to lure users into depositing money into foreign accounts with the promise of quick profits. Some of them reference former Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir and journalist Stefán Einar Stefánsson to lend credibility to the false information.

Birgir Þór Harðarson, the web manager at RÚV, stated that RÚV’s content is only shared under the domain ruv.is. Any materials displayed under the RÚV brand on other sites are not affiliated with them. He emphasized that RÚV has never paid for content distribution on Facebook and has no intention of doing so.

The origin of the fraudulent emails has been traced back to a domain purchased through a company that offers anonymity to clients. This domain is also associated with a company in China, which manages registrations for .top domains and has been warned to implement better protections against online scams.

Guðmundur Arnar Sigmundsson, head of CERT-IS, noted that false news has long plagued Facebook, but the current trend involves deceptive headlines designed to mislead. He acknowledged that these misleading stories are increasingly relevant to Iceland, as they utilize more believable text and fake images of Icelanders.

Users are urged to remain vigilant and critical of what they encounter online, especially when headlines seem too good to be true.