How to spot scams like "Boxes Of Money Email Scam"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is "Boxes Of Money"?
After careful analysis, we have determined that the email in question is a scam. The purpose of this fraudulent message is to deceive recipients into providing personal information or making financial transactions to scammers. It is strongly recommended that recipients ignore and delete this email to avoid falling victim to the scam.
More about the "Boxes Of Money" scam email
This scam email begins with an apology for any ethical concerns and introduces the sender as Capt. David Jordan, a member of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division deployed in Syria. The sender claims to have deposited boxes of money with a delivery company and seeks the recipient's assistance in safeguarding the funds.
The sender emphasizes the need for trust and promises to share 40% of the money in return. The email aims to persuade the recipient to provide their support by appealing to honesty and offering a significant monetary reward. However, it is important to recognize this email as a scam.
The sender's intent is likely to deceive and manipulate recipients into sharing personal information (e.g., credit card details or ID card information) or sending money. It is advised to disregard the email and refrain from engaging with the sender.
| Name | Boxes Of Money Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipients can receive money for helping the sender |
| Disguise | Letter from a member of the U.S. Army |
| 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
Most scam emails use urgent or alarming language to create a sense of urgency and pressure the recipient into taking immediate action. They typically contain grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and poor formatting, indicating a lack of professionalism.
Also, scam emails commonly request personal information, such as passwords, bank account details, or Social Security numbers. Moreover, they often offer lucrative financial rewards or prizes to entice recipients into providing their information or making monetary transactions.
Examples of scam emails are "Proposal Letter", "You've Received A Secure File", and "New Webmail Version". It is important to know that emails sent by cybercriminals can be used to trick recipients into infecting their computers.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware is spread via email by embedding malicious files or links in messages. These files come in various formats, including archives (e.g., ZIP and RAR), executables (e.g., .exe and .run), documents (e.g., PDF and Microsoft Office), JavaScript files, ISO files, and more.
The infection process starts when a user executes, runs, or opens one of these files. For example, malware can be deployed through Microsoft Office documents by executing malicious macro commands, while other files may require additional actions to trigger the malware deployment.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Ensure the security of your system by regularly updating your operating system and software. Install reputable antivirus software and keep it up to date to protect against emerging threats. Exercise caution when dealing with emails, verifying their authenticity before downloading files or clicking on links.
Adopt safe browsing practices, such as avoiding questionable websites, refraining from interacting with suspicious ads or pop-ups, and exercising caution when downloading software from untrusted sources. Rely on official sources or trusted app stores to download software and stick to reputable websites.
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 "Boxes Of Money" email letter:
Subject: I hope i can Trust you???106.117.223.246
Hello Friend,
Greetings,
I apologize if the content of my email is contrary to your moral ethics but I find it pleasurable to offer you my partnership in business. My names is Capt. David Jordan U.S. ARMY with the 82nd Airborne Division, Airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in joint forcible operations. Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps. I was deployed from Afghanistan to Syria on 28th June 2021.
Can you Assist me? As you must agree with me it has been hell here in Syria trying to keep the boxes of money safe from people's eyes for all these while and with this opportunity, I deposited the boxes with Delivery company they know nothing about the contents, all I need is your trust 100% I can send the boxes to you.
So if you can assure me of your honesty, I will go ahead and send the boxes to you for safe keeping through Delivery company till my coming back home and I will gladly give you 40% of the money.
As soon as I receive your response, I will explain the source of the Money. I wait your reply as to proceed immediately via email capt.davidjordan@gmail.com
Thanks for your cooperation, God bless you and America !!
Best Regards,
Capt. David Jordan
US ARMY. (Presently in Syria).
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Quick menu:
- What is Boxes Of Money scam?
- 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?
Scammers send identical messages to numerous recipients, aiming to deceive at least one person among the targeted group. These spam emails lack personalization and are mass-distributed in the hope of finding unsuspecting victims.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have shared any account credentials, it is crucial to change all passwords. In the event that you have disclosed additional personal information, such as credit card details or ID card information, it is recommended to contact the relevant authorities without delay.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
If the file in question was an executable, it could have caused an infection. However, if it was a document as PDF or DOC, there is a possibility that you may have avoided the infection, as simply opening the document may not always be sufficient for malware to penetrate the system.
I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?
Due to the nature of these transactions, they are nearly impossible to trace, resulting in the inability to recover the funds.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Merely opening an email poses no harm or risk to your system. However, caution should be exercised when interacting with the email contents, such as clicking links or opening attached files, as these actions can potentially lead to system infections or other security risks.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner has the capability to detect and remove the majority of known malware infections effectively. It is important to note that advanced malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. Therefore, it is highly recommended to perform a full system scan.
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