Do not trust the "Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info" phishing email

What kind of email is "Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info"?

After inspecting the "Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info" email, we determined that it is spam. This fake letter requests the recipient to provide their company's banking data in order to clear the attached invoice. The attachment is a phishing file targeting email account log-in credentials.

"Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info" email scam overview

The email with the subject "Requested Bank Details For Payment Tuesday, January 17, 2023" (may vary) informs the recipient that an invoice has to be cleared for payment and shipping. This process necessities that the recipient provide their company's updated banking information by entering it into the attached invoice.

As previously mentioned, this letter is a scam. When we opened the attached HTML file titled "PO538368.html" (filename may vary), it was disguised as a Microsoft Excel document claiming that the user must verify it with their email to view the contents. This is a phishing file intended to record the entered log-in credentials (i.e., email address and associated password) and send them to the scammers behind this spam campaign.

In addition to stealing the exposed emails, the cyber criminals may be able to hijack the content registered using them. To elaborate, scammers can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends for loans, promote scams, and/or spread malware by sharing malicious links/files.

While finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and/or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting emails like "Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient is requested to provide their company banking data to clear the invoice payment.
Attachment(s)	PO538368.html (filename nay vary)
Detection Names (PO538368.html)	Avast (HTML:PhishingMS-AMH [Phish]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.Generic.33050863), ESET-NOD32 (HTML/Phishing.Gen), Fortinet (HTML/Phish.AMH!tr), Ikarus (Phishing.HTML.Doc), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
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.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have analyzed thousands of spam emails; "Your Account Is Set To Close", "Your Account Failed To Update", "Unsuccessful Cash Box Delivery", and "Abandoned Funds" are merely some examples of ones used for phishing.

In addition to various scams, spam mail is used to distribute trojans, ransomware, and other malware. These letters are usually disguised as "official", "urgent", "priority", or similar; they can even be presented as messages from genuine companies, service providers, organizations, authorities, or other entities.

Due to how widespread and competently crafted spam mail can be – we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails can have infectious files attached to or linked inside them. These files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, and so on.

When a malicious file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection chain (i.e., malware download/installation) is initiated. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect devices by executing malicious macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend being careful with incoming emails and other messages. The attachments and links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious and cause infections. It is essential to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

It must be mentioned that malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise downloading only from official and verified channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters may contain malware.

Another recommendation is to be vigilant when browsing since fake and malicious content typically appears ordinary and harmless.

We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. This software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. 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 "Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info" spam email letter:

Subject: Requested Bank Details For Payment Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Hello -,

Kindly send us your company updated bank info for the attached invoice payment
as it is past due now we need to clear the invoice for shipment.

Thanks and  regards

Giancarlo Esquilín-Lebrón, CPA
Managing Member
Office: 787-957-3275
Web: www.thriv.cpa

1519 Ave. Ponce de León, Suite 806
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00909

Screenshot of the phishing attachment distributed via "Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info" spam campaign ("PO538368.html"):

Another example of a spam email asking to provide company's bank details. This spam contains a malicious executable as an attachment. The executable is Formbook malware.

Text presented within:

Subject: Pls. Review Attached PI For Immediate Payment

 

Hello,

My colleague is currently on vacation. I am writing to you regarding our last order.

Please reconfirm your bank details for attach PI as we are ready to make the advance  payment,

your quick response will be highly appreciated

Any questions, kindly let me know.

Regards,
Maris Azmin

Purchasing & Import Department

Contact info +44 7360 518224

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Quick menu:

• What is "Send Us Your Company Updated Bank Info" 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?

Spam emails are not personal. They are distributed in mass-scale campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive identical messages.

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

If you have provided your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised 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 appropriate authorities without delay.

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

No, merely opening an email will not initiate any malware download/installation processes. Infections are triggered when malicious attachments or links present in spam mail are opened/clicked.

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

Whether your device was infected will depend on the purpose of the attachment and potentially its format. When opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) infect devices almost without fail. While document formats (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) might require additional user interaction (i.e., enabling macro commands) to start 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 practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that running a full system scan is essential since high-end malicious software usually hides deep within systems.

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