How to spot fake emails like "TNT AWB" phishing email
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is is "TNT AWB"?
Upon examination, it has been determined that this is a phishing attempt aimed at tricking recipients into revealing personal information. The email contains an attachment that opens a phishing page designed to steal sensitive information. It is strongly recommended to ignore this and similar emails.
More about the "TNT AWB" scam email
This email appears to be from Elaine Poon, a Customer Service Executive from TNT Express Worldwide (HongKong) Ltd. The body of the email is brief, stating that there is an attached AWB for the recipient's reference. The email also includes contact information for Elaine Poon and the company.
However, this email is a phishing attempt. It has a file named "04592648.shtml" (its name may vary) attached to it. Opening the attachment leads to a phishing website asking to provide a password. The intention of the scammers behind this email is to deceive recipients into divulging their passwords and potentially other confidential data.
Scammers can use stolen passwords to gain access to bank accounts (or other accounts) and credit card information and then use that information to make unauthorized purchases and money transfers. Also, they can use them to craft convincing messages to trick individuals into sharing additional sensitive information or downloading malware and other malicious purposes.
| Name | TNT AWB Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | The attached file is an AWB (Air waybill) |
| Disguise | Letter from TNT |
| Attachment | 04592648.shtml (its name may vary) |
| Detection Names (Attachment) | Avast (Other:SNH-gen [Phish]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.GenericKD.65632625), ESET-NOD32 (HTML/Phishing.Gen), Kaspersky (HTML/Phishing.A!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. |
Similar scam emails in general
Phishing emails often use urgent language to elicit a quick response from the recipient. Also, they often contain links or attachments that look legitimate but actually lead to phishing websites. Typically, scammers attempt to extract personal information such as passwords, Social Security numbers, credit card details, etc.
Examples of similar emails are "Mailbox Quota Exceeded Email Scam", "Intesa Sanpaolo Email Scam", and "Social Security Account Missing Information Email Scam". It is important to mention that emails can be used to trick recipients into infecting their computers.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Typically, users infect computers via email by opening malicious attachments or clicking on malicious links. Some malicious attachments (e.g., malicious MS Office documents) may require users to enable macros in order to infect their computers.
The most common types of files used to deliver malware via email are executable files, such as .exe, .com, .bat, and .pif files, as well as script files, such as .js, .vbs, and .wsf files. These types of files can be disguised as harmless documents in order to trick users into opening them.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Make sure that your operating system, web browsers, and antivirus software are up-to-date. Be cautious when opening email attachments and downloading files from the internet. Only download files from trusted sources and be suspicious of unsolicited emails or emails from unknown senders. Avoid clicking on suspicious links or pop-ups.
Use reliable antivirus software and keep it updated to scan your system regularly for any potential 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 "TNT AWB" email letter:
Subject: TNT AWB - 04592648
Hello,
Please find the attached AWB for your reference,thank you.
Best RegardsElaine Poon
Customer Service Executive
Customer Service DeptT : 852 23312663
F : 852 23183270
Elaine.Poon@TNT .COMTNT Express Worldwide (HongKong) Ltd
Unit 1121, 11/F, KITEC, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
www.tnt.com
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Quick menu:
- What is TNT AWB 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?
There are several ways cybercriminals can obtain your email address for phishing attacks. One common method is through data breaches, where your email address may have been exposed in a data leak from a company or service you use. Either way, phishing emails are not personal.
I have provided my password when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have provided your password to scammers, the first thing you should do is to change your passwords immediately. It is important to use a strong, unique password sthat you have not used before and not use the same password for multiple accounts.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to this email, is my computer infected?
No, the file attached to this email is not malicious (it does not inject malware). However, cybercriminals can use email attachments as tools to trick users into infecting their computers.
I have read the email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Merely opening an email is not harmful. However, clicking on links or opening attachments contained in the email can result in computer infections.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner has the ability to identify and remove nearly all known malware infections. However, it's important to note that some sophisticated malware may be deeply hidden within the system. In order to ensure the complete removal, it is recommended to perform a full system scan.
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