How to spot scams like "Intuit QuickBooks Encrypted Message"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of scam is "Intuit QuickBooks Encrypted Message"?
After examining this email, our team has concluded that its objective is to trick recipients into revealing personal information. Such emails are commonly referred to as phishing emails, and the scammers behind this specific message aim to entice victims into providing sensitive data via a fraudulent attachment.
More about the "Intuit QuickBooks Encrypted Message" scam email
The email appears to be notifying the recipient that important documents are ready for review. It implies that the message contains an encrypted attachment, allegedly sent from QuickBooks. The email prompts the recipient to download the attachment to view the "secure message". However, caution is necessary, as this email is a phishing attempt.
The file attached to this email is named "ACH-EFT_Quickbooks_Payment.html" (its name may vary). This file disguises itself as an Intuit sign-in page but is actually a fake form. Its intention is to deceive users into providing their login credentials, including email/user ID and password. The entered data is then sent to scammers, who can use it for malicious purposes.
Scammers can misuse the gathered login credentials in various harmful ways. They may gain unauthorized access to the victim's account, allowing them to steal personal information, financial data, or sensitive documents. Also, scammers could use the compromised account to launch further phishing attacks on the victim's contacts or business associates.
Moreover, they may attempt to conduct fraudulent transactions or make unauthorized purchases using the victim's account, leading to financial losses and potential legal consequences for the victim. The stolen login credentials could also be sold on the dark web, further exposing the victim to cyber threats and identity theft.
| Name | Intuit QuickBooks Encrypted Message Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Important documents are ready for review |
| Attachment | ACH-EFT_Quickbooks_Payment.html (its name may vary) |
| Detection Names (Attachment) | Avast (Other:SNH-gen [Phish]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.GenericKD.68425512), ESET-NOD32 (HTML/Phishing.Agent.ENV), Kaspersky (Hoax.HTML.Phish.any), Symantec (Trojan.Gen.NPE), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Disguise | Letter from QuickBooks |
| 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
Usually, phishing emails have urgent or attention-grabbing subject lines, designed to evoke immediate responses from recipients. They use persuasive language and call-to-action statements, urging users to open attachments or click on links without thorough consideration.
Also, such emails frequently mimic reputable companies or services, using logos, branding, and email addresses that closely resemble legitimate entities to deceive recipients into believing the email is genuine. Examples of phishing emails are "Server Update Notice", "A File Was Shared With You Via Dropbox", and "DHL SHIPMENT REMINDER".
It is important to note that files and links sent via email can be malicious/used to distribute malware.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Recipients can inadvertently infect their computers through email interactions when they engage with malicious attachments or links present in emails. Malicious emails can contain a range of file types, including documents (e.g., PDF, DOC), executable files (e.g., EXE), JavaScript files, ISO files, or compressed archives (e.g., ZIP).
Upon opening or executing these files, malware becomes active, leading to the infection of the user's computer.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Refrain from opening email attachments or website links from unfamiliar or suspicious email addresses. Obtain software (and files) exclusively from reputable and official websites. Additionally, ensure your operating system and software stay updated with the latest security patches.
Install a trustworthy antivirus or anti-malware program and conduct regular system scans to eliminate potential threats. Exercise caution when encountering pop-ups or advertisements on questionable websites.
If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Intuit QuickBooks Encrypted Message" email letter:
Subject: Completed: Important Documents Need Your Review and Signatures for -
You've received an encrypted message from QuickBooks.
Download attachment to view secure message.
Screenshot of the fake form in the attached file ("ACH-EFT_Quickbooks_Payment.html"):
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is Intuit QuickBooks Encrypted Message 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 distribute identical emails to a wide audience, aiming to deceive at least one recipient. These spam messages lack personalization and are crafted to target a large number of individuals indiscriminately.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
In case you have unintentionally disclosed your email address and password (or similar details) to scammers, visit the official website of the impacted account and promptly change your password. Also, if you use the same or similar login credentials for other accounts, ensure to change their passwords as well. If you encounter difficulty accessing your account, consider contacting the service provider for assistance.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to this email, is my computer infected?
The file attached to this email does not contain malware. It opens a fake form to steal sensitive information. However, it is important to be aware that files attached to emails can be malicious.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Merely opening an email does not pose any threats to your system and is generally safe. However, it is essential to exercise caution when clicking on links within emails or opening attached files, as these actions can potentially introduce system infections.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating almost all known malware infections. Keep in mind that high-end malware usually hides deep in the system. For this reason, running a full system scan is a must.
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