Avoid getting scammed by "Impex Delivery Services" fake emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Impex Delivery Services"?
Our inspection of the "Impex Delivery Services" email revealed that it is spam. These letters claim that recipients have received a large inheritance, which can be claimed by making a single payment.
It must be emphasized that the information provided by these emails is false, and the companies/entities mentioned in them are not associated with this spam mail.
"Impex Delivery Services" email scam overview
The "Impex Delivery Services" spam email states that the recipient's 850,000 USD inheritance has been processed and registered with "Impex Delivery Services". The letter encourages contacting the "Impex" head office for more information concerning the ATM card containing the inherited funds. The recipient is informed that insurance and delivery have already been covered, but they still have to pay the security fee.
As mentioned in the introduction, these emails are fake. The mention of fees implies that these scam letters are used to trick recipients into making monetary transactions.
However, the aim might be to obtain the victims' personal and financial data, e.g., by redirecting them to a phishing website that would record the information (e.g., personally identifiable details, online bank account log-in credentials, credit card numbers, etc.).
The data obtained through phishing scams can be used for nefarious purposes (e.g., making unauthorized monetary transactions, fraudulent online purchases, etc.) or sold to third-parties (potentially, cyber criminals).
In summary, through scams like the "Impex Delivery Services" emails - users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
Name | Impex Delivery Services phishing email |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
Fake Claim | Recipients have received an inheritance. |
Disguise | Impex |
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. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
We have analyzed countless spam emails; "Your Netflix Subscription Suspended Within 2 Days", "Xerox Multifunction Printer", and "Coca Cola Lottery" are just a few examples of ones used for phishing.
Data-targeting scams can aim to obtain a wide variety of information like account log-in credentials (of online banking, money transferring, digital wallets, e-commerce, social networking, social media, emails, etc.), financial data (banking account details, credit card numbers, etc.), personally identifiable information (names, addresses, etc.), and so forth.
In addition to phishing and other scams, spam emails are also used to proliferate malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, etc.).
Due to how widespread spam mail is, we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails and messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam emails can contain malicious attachments or links (leading to websites capable of stealthily downloading/installing malware or tricking visitors into doing so themselves). Infectious files can be in various formats, e.g., executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, and so on.
When such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened - malware download/installation is jumpstarted. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We highly recommend exercising caution with incoming mail. The attachments and links present in suspicious/irrelevant emails and messages must not be opened - as that can lead to a system infection. Additionally, it is important to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic execution of macros.
Aside from spam mail, malware is also proliferated through online scams, untrustworthy download channels (e.g., unofficial and freeware sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), illegal program activation ("cracking") tools, and fake updates.
Therefore, we advise being vigilant when browsing. Furthermore, download only from official and verified sources. We also advise activating and updating programs with tools provided by genuine developers, as those obtained from third-parties may contain malware.
We must emphasize the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats and issues. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Impex Delivery Services" scam email letter:
Subject: Attn: to ******** by 6/8/2022 9:30:38 a.m..
Good Day,
I trust that this your ******** address is still valid?
We have concluded and registered your compensation Inheritance Claim`s ATM CARD of ($850,000 USD) with Impex Delivery Services.
Kindly contact the Impex Delivery Services head office with the below information for your ATM CARD:
Mr. Daniel Marius
Director of Operations
Impex Freight Services Ltd.
Email: impexfreight@fastservice.com
We have paid for the Insurance & Delivery fee.The only fee you have to pay is their Security fee only. Ask Him how much is their Security fee so that you can pay it.
Best Regards,
Mrs. Linda Jones.
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Quick menu:
- What is Impex Delivery Services 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?
Cyber criminals send spam emails in mass-scale operations; hence, thousands of users receive identical letters.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have provided account credentials - immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you've disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) - contact the relevant authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, opening/reading a spam email is harmless. System infections are caused when the attachments or links present in this mail are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) - most likely, yes - your system was infected. However, you might have avoided triggering an infection if it was a document (.pdf, .doc, .xls, etc.). These formats may require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands) to begin downloading/installing malware.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and eliminate threats. It can remove nearly all known malware infections. It has to be mentioned that running a complete system scan is paramount - since high-end malicious software tends to hide deep within systems.
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