Wrocław Archdiocese warns priests of fake emails impersonating Archbishop Józef Kupny requesting financial aid for Ukraine.
Archdiocese Issues Warning
The Archdiocese of Wrocław has warned priests about fake emails allegedly sent by Metropolitan Józef Kupny requesting financial aid for Ukraine. IT specialists from the curia detected the threat and prepared an official communication stating that “the archbishop is not the author of these messages and does not contact priests by email.”
The curia appealed for vigilance, warning against clicking on links in such correspondence and opening attachments from unknown sources. They asked priests to report suspicious emails to the IT Department of the Metropolitan Curia at webmaster@archidiecezja.wroc.pl.
Characteristics of the Fake Emails
Recipients informed IT specialists that the emails were not sent from the archdiocese’s official domain. The content was described as informal, schematic, and appearing to be generated by artificial intelligence, according to the Catholic Information Agency.
“Language models now mimic natural language well. That’s no longer emails written in ‘broken’ language like in past years. Therefore, each of us must approach received correspondence with caution,” explained an IT specialist from the Wrocław Metropolitan Curia.
Government Cybersecurity Warning
On Tuesday, February 10, Cybersecurity Day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digitalization Krzysztof Gawkowski reminded that cybercriminals are constantly seeking new methods to steal data and money, making education and prevention crucial.
“In the network, the one who wins is not the fastest, but the one who can stop and verify information. Awareness of threats and knowledge of how to respond is the strongest shield in the digital world,” Gawkowski stated, particularly warning against phishing, the most common form of internet fraud.