Avoid having your email account stolen via "Fill The Sars" phishing email
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Fill The Sars"?
After inspecting the "Fill The Sars" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter instructs to fill out the attached form, which is actually a phishing file that targets recipients' email account log-in credentials.
"Fill The Sars" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "PAYMENT NOTIFICATION FROM SARS" (may vary) requests the recipient to complete the attached form. Additionally, they are asked to update their payment details. It must be stressed that this letter is false; hence, recipients will neither gain nor lose funds.
Once we examined the attachment – "SARS PAYMNET UPDATE.html" – we determined that it is phishing file. In other words, this file is designed to record the information entered into it. This attachment instructs the user to sign into their email account to view the "secured files".
Log-in credentials (i.e., email address and corresponding password) entered into this file will be sent to the scammers behind the spam campaign. With this data in their possession, the cyber criminals can gain control over the exposed emails and potentially the content registered through them.
To expand upon this, scammers can steal the identities of social account (e.g., email, social networking, messenger, etc.) owners and ask their contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.
Furthermore, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and online purchases.
In summary, by trusting an email like "Fill The Sars" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay.
| Name | "Fill The Sars" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient must complete the attached form. |
| Attachment(s) | SARS PAYMNET UPDATE.html (filename may vary) |
| Detection Names | Combo Cleaner (Generic.JS.Office.ScamPage.A.4621125B), Antiy-AVL (Trojan/JS.Phishing), Emsisoft (Generic.JS.Office.ScamPage.A.4621125B), Ikarus (Phishing.HTML.Doc), MAX (Malware (ai Score=86)), 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. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
We have analyzed thousands of spam emails; "EMAIL ACCOUNT SHUTDOWN REQUEST", "Orders Payment Swift Telex Copies", "Purchase Confirmation", "Economic Devastation Recovery Relief" – are merely some examples of ones used for phishing.
Aside from various scams, this mail is used to distribute malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.). Spam letters can be presented as "official", "important", "urgent", or similar; they can even be disguised as messages from legitimate companies, service providers, institutions, authorities, or other entities.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam emails distribute infectious files in the form of attachments or download links. These files can be executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
When a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise open – the malware download/installation process is jumpstarted. For example, Microsoft Office documents cause infections by executing malicious macro commands, while infectious OneNote files need users to click on embedded files/links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. The attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious. We advise using Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.
However, malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also recommend being vigilant while browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous.
Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and verified sources. It is just as important to activate and update programs using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.
We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date is essential to device integrity and user safety. Security 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 "Fill The Sars" spam email letter:
Subject: PAYMENT NOTIFICATION FROM SARS
I trust that you are keeping well.
Kindly DOWNLOAD and fill the Sars link below to enable your view in PDF and update your payment detail.
Screenshot of the phishing file attached to the "Fill The Sars" spam email ("SARS PAYMNET UPDATE.html"):
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Fill The Sars" 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. Cyber criminals send these letters in massive campaigns with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.
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 exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (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, opening/reading an email will not trigger any malware download/installation chains. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether your device was infected depends on the opened file's purpose (system infection vs. phishing, etc.) and potentially its format. If the file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system is compromised. However, document formats (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) may need additional user 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 capable of detecting and eliminating practically all known malware infections. It must be stressed that performing a full system scan is paramount – since high-end malware typically hides deep within systems.
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