How to spot fake emails like Norton Order Confirmation
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is "Norton Order Confirmation" email scam?
After examining this email, we found that it is sent by scammers who aim to trick recipients into contacting (calling) them. The email is disguised as a letter from NortonLifeLock (a legitimate software company) regarding order confirmation. This letter must be ignored.
More about the "Norton Order Confirmation" email scam
The email claims that the order confirmation has been successfully processed. It also states that the recipient will be charged $531.89 once the order is dispatched. It contains a fake order number and the prices of the ordered services and products. This email aims to trick the recipient into believing he will be charged the specified amount of money if no action is taken.
The letter provides a fake customer support number (+1-844-429-9888). Typically, once scammers behind emails like this one are contacted, they ask to provide personal information (e.g., credit card details) or request payment for their "services". Sometimes, they aim to remotely access computers or trick recipients into downloading malware.
Name | Norton Order Confirmation Email Scam |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
Fake Claim | The recipient will be charged $531.89 once the "order" is dispatched |
Scammer Number | +1-844-429-9888, (844) 296-6121, 8052062882, 760-973-9411, 805-290-4404 |
Disguise | Letter from the NortonLifeLock compaby regarding order confirmation |
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. |
Similar scams in general
Emails of this type usually are disguised as official letters from legitimate (existing) companies or other entities. Scammers behind them attempt to extract money and (or) sensitive information or even distribute malware. Examples of similar emails are "Your Order Is Processed Email Scam", "You Have 3 Encrypted Documents Email Scam", and "Due Payment-Invoice Email Scam".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Emails used to deliver malware contain malicious attachments or website links. In both cases, recipients infect computers after executing malware (open malicious files) by themselves. They aim to trick users into opening malicious MS Office or PDF documents, ISO files, archive files like ZIP, RAR, executables, and other files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Do not open attachments and links when received emails are not relevant emails and sent from unknown, suspicious addresses. Note that cybercriminals behind emails containing malicious files/links pretend to be legitimate companies or other entities. Always use official pages to download files and software.
Do not download software or files using P2P networks, third-party downloaders, torrent sites, etc. Update and activate the installed software properly (activate and update it using tools provided by the official software developers).
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 "Norton Order Confirmation" email letter:
Norton SECURED
powered by SymantecInvoice No. GH09754564
Date: 05/09/2022
Your order confirmation has been successfully done and processed from our end. Your account will be charged 531.89 USD after order dispatched. We will not charge any extra amount from your account.
Order received on Tuesday 06 September, 2022
Your order details are given below:
Norton Deluxe 360 Protection $ 475.90
Theft Security for all device $ 55.99
Order number YPM0023955397455
Sub-Total $ 531.89Note: If you wish to discontinue the services, please call us within 24 hours. Our support team will be happy to assist you with all your queries.
The transaction may take several hours to appear in your account.
Please retain this email as a proof of purchase. To obtain information on how to download or activate your product, go here Norton. Firewall/download and please review our How do I Download"? Help document.
If you didn't initiate this purchase, or the payment was not made by you, directly reach out our customer support helpline at
tel://+ 1 844 429 9888/
Support | Legal | Privacy |
Another example of Norton order confirmation-themed spam email:
Text presented within:
norton
We've Received your Order
Hello,
This email confirms your recent payment of $389.99..
Invoice# N96563-4598
CustomerID# N4598
Plan Details: Norton360Premium with Life Lock
Active Plan:Norton360 PREMIUM 2 Years Subscription
Subscription Charges: $389.99 USD
Billing detail: Debited (A/C) AUTO
NOTE: Your account have been charged for $389.99 and the amount will appear in your account/statement within 24 hours.;
If you are unaware about the charge and wish to cancel the plan and get the refund, please contact our customer support on : +1 (844) 296-6121
- Your Norton Team
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Quick menu:
- What is Norton Order Confirmation 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?
Even if you use any of the Norton products, this letter was not addressed to you personally. Scammers send the same letter to everyone in their database, hoping that someone will fall for it.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you provided your login credentials, change all passwords as soon as possible. Make sure not to use the same password for multiple accounts. Contact the corresponding authorities if the provided information is credit card details, ID card information, social security numbers, etc.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
It depends on the type of file. For example, malicious executables infect computers right after opening (double-clicking) them. Malicious Microsoft Office documents cause computer infections after enabling macros commands (if opened with Office versions released prior to 2010).
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, recipients only infect computers if they open malicious files or links. Reading emails without opening anything in them is harmless.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Yes, Combo Cleaner will remove malware. It can detect almost all known malware. It is important to know that high-end malware can be designed to hide deep in the system. Thus, it cannot be detected without running a full system scan.
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