When Government and Police Email Accounts Are Up for Sale Underground (And What Startups Should Do About It)

Imagine a hacker buying a genuine .gov or .police email account for as little as $40 and using it to trick your team into opening malware or handing over sensitive data. That scenario is unfolding right now in underground markets. The trust we place in those domains is being weaponised. For startups and scale ups without dedicated security teams, this is a sharp wake up call about how institutional trust can become a major vulnerability.

Why This Is a Risk You Cannot Ignore

Active, Trusted Accounts Change the Game

Researchers at Abnormal AI discovered that real, active government and police email accounts are being sold on encrypted platforms like Telegram or Signal for minimal cost. These are not old or spoofed emails. They belong to real people in agencies across the US, UK, Germany, India, Brazil, and more.

With access via standard SMTP, POP3, or IMAP, attackers gain full control over the inbox. They can send emails that look completely legitimate, phishing becomes more effective, filters get bypassed, and your team is far more likely to comply.

Bypassing Controls and Launching Attacks

These accounts are not just for impersonation. Threat actors bundle them with personal data and pitch them as tools for submitting fake emergency data requests or subpoenas to tech companies and telecoms. These services are often required to comply fast without rigorous verification in urgent situations.

Access to law enforcement dashboards, license plate lookups, or investigative portals may also be part of the package. With that kind of access, attackers can escalate from simple phishing to targeted surveillance attacks.

In short, a single compromised account can turn into a gateway for serious fraud, data theft, or operational disruption.

What Your Startup Can Do to Minimize Risk

Here is a practical checklist of things you can do now:

1. Zero trust to the rescue Treat even .gov or .police emails with skepticism. Require out-of-band verification for all legal or sensitive requests.

2. Deploy robust authentication Use multi factor authentication everywhere, especially for your own critical systems and user accounts. Make password reuse a non-starter.

3. Monitor for unusual inbound requests Watch for subpoenas or legal orders. Even internal teams should flag anything that comes through unusual channels or uses pressure tactics.

4. Train your people intentionally Include examples of spoofed or real-sounding government emails in your phishing exercises. Emphasise that attackers now use real credentials, not just fake sender names or domains.

5. Segment and limit access Use permission tiers for sensitive operations. If a request comes in from “government,” ensure it can’t bypass second level checks.

6. Monitor account exposure Use dark web monitoring tools that alert you if your own domain or staff emails appear in credential dumps or underground markets.

7. Incident readiness Have clear steps for account compromise. Know who is in charge, how to trigger internal verification, and how to notify partners or services, especially if there is risk of fraud or data leak.

8. Raise awareness across your supply chain If you work with vendors or platforms that rely on government trust, encourage them to guard against this threat as well.

In Our Experience

We have seen attackers use compromised trusted domains to bypass security layers far faster than they could by impersonating generic domains. They exploit human trust, especially during high pressure moments, like requests that seem urgent, from “authorities,” or with legal language. The only way to stay ahead is to treat every request as untrusted until proven otherwise.

Closing Reflection

Selling government and police credentials on underground markets is an alarming reality. These credentials carry institutional weight and are increasingly abused to bypass security controls. For startups, the solution is not more tools but smarter habits: zero trust, layered authentication, active monitoring, and intentional preparedness. You may not have a security team but you can still stay one step ahead with the right mindset.

Trust isn’t inherited, it is earned through vigilance. If you would like a simple checklist or a playbook for how to verify legal requests, or to run a phishing simulation incorporating real-style government impersonation, We’re happy to help. At Steel FYI, we build pragmatic security that grows with your startup. Let’s keep your business resilient, even when trust itself becomes a weapon.