Avoid infecting systems with malware via the Transcrop Bank scam email

What is the "Transcrop Bank" scam email?

"Transcrop Bank" refers to a malware-spreading spam email campaign. The term "spam campaign" is used to define a mass-scale operation, during which thousands of deceptive/scam emails are sent.

The "Transcrop Bank" scam messages claim that recipients have a large incoming transfer into their bank accounts and ask them to review the attached documents to confirm the data provided therein. Rather than containing this information, the archive files contain malicious executables of the Agent Tesla RAT (Remote Access Trojan).

This type of Trojan enables stealthy remote access and control over the compromised device. RATs have a wide variety of dangerous functionality, which can lead to likewise varied issues.

The "Transcrop Bank" scam emails (the subject/title "Payment Approval from Transcrop Bank" might vary) claim that recipients are remitted US$150,000 (USD). They are asked to review and confirm the details provided in the attached documents.

Additionally, they are informed that the "Transcrop Bank" will not be held responsible, should the information be incorrect and recipients fail to inform the bank of any inaccuracies.

Note that all information provided by these messages is false and merely designed to trick recipients into opening the infectious files (i.e. "Bank Verification Slip.exe" and "Invoice.exe" - filenames might likewise vary). Once either of the malicious executables is opened, the infection process (i.e. download/installation) of Agent Tesla is triggered.

Remote access Trojans operate by allowing remote access and control over an infected machine. The primary purpose of Agent Tesla is extraction and exfiltration of sensitive and personal information. To summarize, by trusting "Transcrop Bank" scam emails, many users risk experiencing system infections, serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft.

If it is suspected or known that the system is already infected with the Agent Tesla RAT (or other malware), use anti-virus software to remove it without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Transcrop Bank spam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Hoax	Scam emails are disguised as notifications concerning a large sum being remitted into recipients' bank accounts.
Attachment(s)	Invoice.exe and Bank Verification Slip.exe (filenames may vary).
Detection Names (Invoice.exe)	Avast (Win32:RATX-gen [Trj]), BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKD.44443692), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/Kryptik.YPP), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan.MSIL.Taskun.gen), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal).
Detection Names (Bank Verification Slip.exe)	Avast (Win32:RATX-gen [Trj]), BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKD.35180567), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/Kryptik.YPP), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan.MSIL.Taskun.gen), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal).
Symptoms	Trojans are designed to stealthily infiltrate the victim's computer and remain silent, and thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine.
Payload	Agent Tesla
Distribution methods	Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software 'cracks'.
Damage	Stolen passwords and banking information, identity theft, the victim's computer added to a botnet.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

"Print Works", "DUNCAN ENGINEERING LIMITED ORDER", "Mondiale della Sanita - Italia", "TNT EXPRESS" and "FedEx Invoice Ready" are some examples of other spam campaigns, proliferating malware.

The bogus emails are used to spread various Trojans, ransomware and other malicious programs. Spam is also used for phishing and various other scams. Due to the relative prevalence of these emails, you are strongly advised to exercise caution with incoming mail.

How did "Transcrop Bank Email Virus" infect my computer?

Typically, cyber criminals behind malspam campaigns send emails with a file attached to them or a download link to the malicious file. Their main goal is to trick recipients into opening/executing the rogue file, which then installs malicious software.

Some examples of files that cyber criminals send via email are Microsoft Office and PDF documents, executables (.exe), JavaScript, and archives (ZIP, RAR). Note that malicious documents that are opened with Microsoft Office 2010 or newer versions install malicious software only if users enable macros commands (enable editing/content).

These versions include "Protected View" mode, which does not allow opened malicious documents to install malware automatically. Older versions do not include this feature and install malicious software without asking permission.

How to avoid installation of malware

To avoid infecting the system with malware spread through spam mail, you are strongly advised not to open suspicious or irrelevant emails, especially those with any attachments or links present in them. Use official and verified download channels.

Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated with tools/functions provided by legitimate developers, since illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third party updaters commonly proliferate malicious software. To ensure device integrity and user safety, it is paramount to have reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware installed and kept updated.

Furthermore, use these programs to run regular system scans and to remove detected/potential threats. If you have already opened a "Transcrop Bank Email Virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Transcrop Bank" scam email message:

Subject: Payment Approval from Transcrop Bank

 

Payment Approval

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

We the Transcrop Bank have been ask to Remit the sum of $150,000 to the attached details for you.

 

Kindly go through the attached document to confirm the Account Details and Quotation provided

 

Transcrop Bank will not be helpd accountable for any missed information after confirmation. We await for your reply.

 

NOTE: This is a one time users verification carried out in purpose to provide a more secured platform and shut down robot or malicious users created in purpose of spamming and other fraudulent activities.

 

Best Regards,
Hakim Clark
Customer Service
Transcrop Bank

 

(C) 2020 Mail. All rights reserved. NMLSR ID 399801

Screenshot of VirusTotal detections of the malicious attachment ("Invoice.exe") distributed via "Transcrop" spam campaign:

Screenshot of VirusTotal detections of the malicious attachment ("Bank Verification Slip.exe") distributed via "Transcrop" spam campaign:

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is Transcrop Bank spam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

▼ Show Discussion