How to recognize phishing emails like the fake Binance email

What kind of scam is "Binance email scam"?

After analyzing this email scam, we concluded that it is a phishing email used to steal sensitive information. Scammers behind it pretend to be the Binance team. Their goal is to trick users into believing that they can receive 0.10 BNB tokens for linking their wallet with a Binance account via the provided website.

More about the "Binance email scam"

Scammers behind this email claim that recipients will receive 0.10 BNB tokens for linking their Binance account with their "Asset Wallet". They also claim that there will be no fee on transactions made with the linked wallets. Their goal is to trick recipients into clicking the "Retrieve Tokens and Link Account." hyperlink and providing information on the opened page.

Scammers seek to trick unsuspecting recipients into providing their Binance account login credentials (email address/telephone number and password). If they succeeded, they could drain the stolen accounts (transfer cryptocurrency to their wallets).

Threat Summary:

Name	Binance Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipients can receive 0.10 of BNC tokens
Related Domain	binancetokens[.]net
Detection Names (binancetokens[.]net)	Trustwave (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (binancetokens[.]net)	2.56.59.184
Disguise	Letter from the Binance team
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
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.

Similar scams in general

A couple of examples of other crypto-related phishing emails are "MetaMask Email Scam" and "WalletConnect Email Scam". We have examined many similar emails (and pages) and found that scammers attempt to trick recipients/visitors into providing their account login credentials or transferring cryptocurrency. Emails can also be used to deliver malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

When threat actors send emails to trick recipients into infecting computers malware, they attach malicious files or include links. Typically, they pretend to be legitimate companies or other entities. Most commonly used files to deliver malware are malicious MS Office or PDF documents, JavaScript files, executables, and archive files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Do not trust irrelevant emails sent from unknown or suspicious addresses. Especially when such emails contain links or files because they can be malicious. Also, use official pages and direct links as sources for downloading software (and files). Avoid using P2P networks, third-party downloaders, shady websites, and similar sources.

Always keep the operating system and other installed software up to date. Update and activate it properly - use tools or functions provided by the official developers. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Appearance of the "Binance email scam" letter (GIF):

Text presented in the "Binance email scam" email letter:

Subject: Your BNB tokens are waiting for your redemption - Protocolo: 6BGW5YXPQX

Your BNB tokens are waiting for your redemption!

We have identified that you have not yet linked your Binance account with your Asset Wallet.

As a link reward we are offering 0.10 BNB Tokens and 0% fee on future transactions with linked wallets in your account.

Linking your wallets to your Binance account is simple, fast and completely online. Use the link below to start the procedure and receive the available BNB tokens.

This procedure is completely safe and you will not be asked for your binance access data!
Binance will not have access to any of your assets, such as securities or products in your portfolio.
Retrieve Tokens and Link Account.

Binance Team.
This is an automated message, please do not reply.
© 2017 - 2022 Binance.com - All Rights Reserveds.
URL: binance[.]com

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▼ 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 Binance phishing email?
• 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Most probably. scammers obtained your email address after a data breach and used it for their campaign. Typically, phishing emails are not personal - scammers send the same email to all addresses in their database.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

If you have provided your Binance account credentials, change all passwords immediately. Also, we advise you to contact the Binance team.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

If that file was an executable, then most probably, your computer is already infected. Microsoft Office documents do not infect computers until macros commands are enabled. Archive files cannot cause damage until their contents are extracted, etc. Simply said, not all files infect computers right after they are opened.

I have read the email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, opening an email by itself is completely harmless.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate almost all known malware infections. If a computer is infected with high-end malware, it must be scanned using a full scan. Running a quick scan is not enough to detect high-end malware since it can hide deep in the operating system.

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