Avoid losing your account via fake "OneDrive Purchase Order" emails

What kind of email is "OneDrive Purchase Order"?

After inspecting the "OneDrive Purchase Order" email, we determined that it is spam operating as a phishing scam. This bogus letter claims that the recipient was sent documents for a purchase order via OneDrive.

It must be emphasized that this spam mail is in no way associated with the actual OneDrive file hosting/sharing service or its developer – the Microsoft Corporation.

"OneDrive Purchase Order" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "New Order Required#854899" (may vary) informs the recipient of an attached purchase order. The letter is signed off with OneDrive, thus implying that the nonexistent documents were sent through this file hosting/sharing service.

It must be stressed that all these claims are fake, and this email is not associated with the real Microsoft OneDrive.

At the time of research, the link in the letter was dead – redirected to a nonfunctional website. However, this could be rectified in potential future releases of the spam campaign, and the mail will redirect to an operational page.

The email was most likely intended to promote a phishing site targeting log-in credentials. Typically, mail of kind redirects to fake websites disguised as email account sign-in pages.

This mail could have pushed a site presented as a OneDrive sign-in webpage. File hosting and sharing platforms can contain sensitive, confidential, and compromising content and information – which could be used for blackmail purposes.

Cyber criminals are particularly interested in emails as they can be connected to other content, which could be hijacked as well.

Scammers can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Furthermore, finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "OneDrive Purchase Order" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you already provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if you believe that your other private information is at risk (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

Threat Summary:

Name	"OneDrive Purchase Order" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient has been sent a purchase order.
Disguise	Microsoft OneDrive
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

We have examined thousands of spam emails; "Quickbooks Payments Invoice", "Saved Passwords Were Found Online", and "Your Outlook Is Full" are merely a couple examples of phishing letters we have investigated recently.

These letters are used to promote scams and even to proliferate malware. This mail can be variously disguised, including as messages from genuine companies, service providers, organizations, authorities, and other entities.

Due to how prevalent spam mail is – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing malicious files, which can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files come in various formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

When such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection process is jumpstarted. For example, virulent Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded files/links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is paramount to treat incoming emails and other messages with care. We advise against opening attachments or links present in this mail, as they can be malicious. We recommend using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

However, malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant when browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters can contain malware.

We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. 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 "OneDrive Purchase Order" spam email letter:

Subject: New Order Required#854899

Dear -

Kindly find the Attached Purchase Order for your reference.

Thanks & Regards,
Sales,

OneDrive

# 85489.OneDrive | 2 file (Total 567.5 KB) View | Download

Screenshot of a phishing site promoted via "OneDrive Purchase Order" scam email:

Another example of an email from "OneDrive Purchase Order" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: A new purchase order has been shared with you on OneDrive

 

Hello -,

Find enclosed purchase order, specification, drawings and presentation.
Please send invoice to proceed payment ASAP.
Get Your Files

Screenshot of the promoted phishing site:

Another example of an email from "OneDrive Purchase Order" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: received a share document via Onedrive

 

View payment receipt

A new purchase order has been shared with you on OneDrive Storage.
Message: Please review contract documents for your signing and approval.
View Document

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Quick menu:

• What is "OneDrive Purchase Order" 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?

Cyber criminals distribute spam emails by the thousand with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams. This mail is not personal.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?

If you have disclosed your account credentials – change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their support without delay. And if you've provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Merely reading an email will not initiate any system infection processes. Infection chains are triggered when malicious attachments or inks found in this mail are opened.

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 – your device was infected. However, documents (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) may need additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to start downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan systems and eliminate all manner of threats. It is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Note that since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems – running a full system is essential.

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