Do not trust fake emails about suspicious activity on your Ledger wallet
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Ledger Wallet Has Been Suspended Due To Suspicious Activity"?
Our inspection of the "Ledger Wallet Has Been Suspended Due To Suspicious Activity" email revealed that it is spam. This letter is presented as a notification regarding the suspension of the recipient's cryptocurrency wallet. It must be emphasized that this email is a scam, and it is not associated with the actual Ledger Wallet.
This fake mail aims to trick recipients into providing their wallet credentials to a phishing site disguised as the official Ledger website.
"Ledger Wallet Has Been Suspended Due To Suspicious Activity" email scam overview
The scam email informs the recipient that their Ledger wallet has been suspended due to suspicious activity. The fake notification states that the system has detected unauthorized transactions occurring on the cryptowallet, and appropriate actions have been taken.
The wallet was suspended for security reasons, and further notifications regarding the suspect activity will be sent after an investigation. The spam email instructs the recipient to click the "[Restore Wallet]" button and follow the steps provided in the opened website to complete the cryptowallet's recovery process.
As previously mentioned, all these claims are false, and this email is in no way associated with the actual Ledger Wallet or any other legitimate services/entities.
When we followed the link provided in the "Ledger Wallet Has Been Suspended Due To Suspicious Activity" spam email (i.e., clicked "[Restore Wallet]"), we were redirected to a phishing site that mimics Ledger's official website. Wallet log-in credentials entered into this page will be recorded and sent to the scammers behind this spam campaign. The cyber criminals can then access the wallet and gain control over the cryptocurrency stored therein.
Furthermore, due to the virtually untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions – it is practically impossible to reverse them; hence, victims will be unable to retrieve their funds.
In summary, by trusting an email like "Ledger Wallet Has Been Suspended Due To Suspicious Activity" – users can experience privacy issues and significant financial losses.
If you have already entered your credentials into a phishing website – immediately change the log-in information and contact the official support of the potentially exposed content.
Name | "Ledger Wallet Has Been Suspended Due To Suspicious Activity" phishing email |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
Fake Claim | Recipient's Ledger wallet has been suspended due to detected suspect transactions. |
Disguise | Ledger |
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
"New/Old Staff Payroll", "Payment Proforma Invoice / Contract", and "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" are just a few examples of phishing emails we have inspected recently.
Aside from various scams, spam mail is also used to proliferate malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.). These emails can be variously disguised, including as messages from genuine service providers, companies, institutions, authorities, and other entities.
Due to how widespread and potentially well-made spam mail can be – we strongly advise exercising caution 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 (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.
When a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection process is initiated. For example, infectious OneNote documents require users to click on embedded files/links in order to begin downloading/installing malware. While Microsoft Office files infect devices by executing malicious macro commands.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Incoming emails and other messages must be approached with caution. The attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent. It is essential to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro command execution.
It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant while browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears legitimate.
Furthermore, all downloads must be performed from official and verified channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update software using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.
We must emphasize the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove 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 "Ledger Wallet Has Been Suspended Due To Suspicious Activity" email letter:
Subject: Re: [Request Updated] -
Support (Digiserve)
May 4, 2023, 02:29 GMT+7
LEDGER
Dear User,We regret to inform you that your wallet has been suspended due to suspicious activity.
Our system has detected unauthorized transactions and we have taken the necessary steps to protect your funds.
To ensure the security of your account, we have temporarily suspended your wallet.Please be assured that our team is currently investigating the issue and we will notify you as soon as we have any updates.
To restore access to your wallet, please follow the steps outlined in the link below:
[Restore Wallet]
Once you have completed the restoration process, your wallet will be unsuspended and you will
be able to resume transactions as normal.
Please note that it is important to maintain the security of your account to prevent any unauthorizedaccess or suspicious activity. We recommend that you regularly review your transaction history and enable two-factor authentication for added security.
Thank you for understanding. Sincerely
LEDGER
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by this spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Ledger Wallet Has Been Suspended Due To Suspicious Activity" 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 distribute them in large-scale operations – therefore, 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 log-in credentials – change the passwords/passphrases of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, merely opening/reading an email will not trigger any malware download/installation chains. Devices 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?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .pdf, .xls, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking on embedded content, etc.) to begin 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 running a complete system scan is paramount – since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.
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