How to spot deceptive emails like "Zelis Payment"

What kind of scam is "Zelis Payment" campaign?

While examining this email, our team determined that it is a fraudulent phishing attempt. The email is crafted by scammers who falsely claim to represent Zelis, a genuine company operating in the healthcare technology sector. The intention of these scammers is to deceive recipients into divulging sensitive via the attached file.

More about the "Zelis Payment" scam email

This phishing email masquerades as an account security alert, claiming to have implemented enhanced security measures in response to customer complaints. The email urges recipients to download a secure attachment containing supposedly necessary information to avoid account suspension and payment cancellations.

It advises recipients not to reply to the message and provides contact information for the supposed client service team. The email also includes confidentiality notices warning against unauthorized use or disclosure of the transmitted information.

The attached file, named "zelisprovider_secure_message.html", includes a fraudulent login form that is designed to deceive recipients into providing their username and password for the purported Zelis payments provider portal. However, this information is actually transmitted to the scammers behind the phishing email.

When scammers obtain stolen login credentials, they can exploit them for various malicious purposes. They may attempt to gain unauthorized access to the victim's accounts, such as email, social media, or financial accounts, enabling them to perform unauthorized transactions or gather sensitive information.

The scammers might also use the stolen credentials to impersonate the victim and carry out fraudulent activities, such as sending malicious emails or messages to contacts, spreading malware, or engaging in identity theft. Additionally, the stolen credentials could be sold on the dark web to other cybercriminals, who may use them for their illicit activities.

Threat Summary:

Name	Zelis Payment Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipients have to provide certain information via the attached file to avoid account suspension
Attached File	zelisprovider_secure_message.html (its name may vary)
Detection Names	Avast (HTML:Phishing-CDA [Phish]), AVG (HTML:Phishing-CDA [Phish]), Cyren (JS/Phish.TV!Eldorado), Google (Detected), Sangfor Engine Zero (Trojan.Generic-Script.Save.e5e8db46), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Disguise	Letter from the Zelis company
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.

Similar scam emails in general

Emails of this type often employ social engineering techniques to create a sense of urgency or fear, prompting recipients to take immediate action. Also, they frequently imitate well-known and trusted entities, such as banks, online services, or government organizations, to gain credibility.

Phishing emails typically contain deceptive elements, such as malicious links or attachments, designed to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or even installing malware.

Examples of phishing emails are "Webmail Action Required", "DHL Delivery Payment Email Scam", and "Adobe Sign Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Users can inadvertently compromise the security of their computers by unknowingly falling prey to various tactics employed by cybercriminals through email. These tactics may involve harmful email attachments, such as infected documents or executable files, that, when opened, can initiate the installation of malware on computers.

Emails are also known to contain deceptive links that redirect users to malicious websites, aiming to exploit vulnerabilities or distribute malware. Cybercriminals often utilize a range of file formats, including executables, documents (like Microsoft Office and PDF documents), scripts, and compressed files (like ZIP and RAR), to distribute malware via email.

How to avoid installation of malware?

When dealing with email attachments and links, it is important to exercise caution, especially if they come from unknown addresses. It is advisable to refrain from opening suspicious attachments or clicking on links that appear unfamiliar or questionable.

When downloading software or files, it is recommended to rely on official and trustworthy sources while avoiding unverified websites or third-party platforms, as they may distribute files infected with malware.

Also, ensure that your operating system, software applications, and antivirus software are regularly updated. Be cautious when encountering advertisements on suspicious websites and carefully consider whether to grant notification permissions to such sites.

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 "Zelis Payment" email letter:

Subject: Action Required ! Security Notification On Your Zelis Account

Zelis Payments

Account Security Alert
Due to the recent complains from our customers, We' ve added more security features to secure all our customers from all un-authorized users.

This features will help to secure your account transactions and all other payments activity.
Please download this secure attachment with the correct information as stated on file to avoid account suspension and cancellation of payments.

Please DO NOT reply to this message. Questions? Contact the Client Service Team at 877.826.8770 or email us at suppot@zelispayments.com . Thanks for choosing Zelis Payments.

Confidentiality Notices
The information contained in this transmission may include confidential information and is intended for the personal and confidential use of the named recipient only. Such information may be protected by applicable State and Federal laws from this disclosure or unauthorized use and may subject you to fines and/or prosecution. If the reader of this transmission or any accompanying information is not the named recipient, such reader is hereby notified that any disclosure, review, discussion, copying, or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please contact the sender immediately.

Copyright. 2020 Zelis.
All Rights Reserved.

Fake login form in the attached file ("zelisprovider_secure_message.html"):

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Quick menu:

• What is Zelis Payment 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?

Scammers send identical messages to numerous recipients in the hope of tricking someone into falling for their scams. These spam emails lack personalization and are sent en masse to a wide range of individuals.

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

If you inadvertently provided your login credentials in response to a scam email, change the passwords for the affected accounts and report the scam email to your email service provider or the appropriate authorities.

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

No, this file does not carry malware. It is used to steal sensitive information through a fake login form.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Opening an email poses no harm or risk to your system. However, engaging with the contents of an email by clicking on malicious links or opening attached files can potentially result in system infections and security vulnerabilities.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner is an effective tool that can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. It is important to note that sophisticated malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to perform a comprehensive full system scan using Combo Cleaner to ensure thorough detection and elimination of any hidden malware.

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