Avoid losing your email account via fake "Purchase Confirmation" email

What kind of email is "Purchase Confirmation"?

After inspecting the "Purchase Confirmation" email, we determined that it is spam. This letter is presented as a message regarding purchase confirmation. It supposedly contains relevant documentation; however, when the provided link is followed – it redirects to a phishing website that targets email account log-in credentials.

"Purchase Confirmation" email scam overview

The spam email identifies the recipient as a "partner" and states that a "purchase confirmation" is attached to the message as per the request. The documentation has been signed and stamped and sent using a secure method. The letter then provides details concerning the nonexistent documents and requests confirmation of their receipt.

When we pressed the "PO/27666/19" button – that allegedly leads to the documentation – we were redirected to a phishing site. The website was disguised as an email account sign-in page. It must be stressed that the "Purchase Confirmation" letter is a scam, and the webpage it promotes is fake.

Information entered into the phishing website will be recorded and sent to the scammers behind this spam campaign. With this data in their possession, the cyber criminals can steal the exposed email accounts and potentially the content registered through them.

To expand upon how the unauthorized access can be abused, hijacked social accounts (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) can be used to steal their owners' identities and ask their contacts/friends for loans, promote scams, and even proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Additionally, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, victims of spam emails like "Purchase Confirmation" can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials to a phishing site – immediately change the password of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Purchase Confirmation" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Email contains documents regarding a purchase 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. ▼ 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

"Economic Devastation Recovery Relief", "Your Bitcoin Wallet Has Been Credited", "Authenticate Your Credentials To Access All Your Documents", "Email Account Has Been Used To Spread Malicious Content" – are just some examples of phishing emails that we have inspected recently.

In addition to various scams, spam mail is used to distribute malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, etc.). These letters are typically variously disguised, including as messages from legitimate service providers, companies, institutions, organizations, and other entities.

Due to how widespread and well-crafted this mail can be, we strongly recommend being vigilant with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails can contain malicious files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

When a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection process (i.e., malware download/installation) is triggered. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands, while infectious OneNote files require users to click on embedded files/links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is crucial to exercise caution with incoming emails and other messages. We advise against opening attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be virulent. We also recommend using Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

However, malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, the same vigilance must be extended to browsing, as fake and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and verified channels. It is just as important to activate and update programs using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date is paramount to device integrity and user safety. This software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats/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 "Purchase Confirmation" spam email letter:

Dear Partner,

In response to our request, please
find attached our Purchase Confirmation duly sgined and stamp in secured format
please pay more attention to number (1&5) regarding contract details
(Ref No. PO/27666/19) 4/18/2023 3:52:28 p.m. for your review and approval.
Click on the link below to view documents

PO/27666/19

Kindly acknowledge  receipt of this e-mail for our internal record purposes.

Best Regards,Ha Bao

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Purchase Confirmation" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Purchase 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?

Spam emails are not personal. They are distributed in massive 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 your account credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform the official support without delay. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant authorities.

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. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

Whether your device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes. However, you might have avoided an infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats may require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking on embedded content, etc.) – 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 is capable of removing nearly all known malware infections. Note that running a complete system scan is essential – since high-end malware usually hides deep within systems.

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