Avoid having your email account stolen via fake "Product Request" emails

What kind of email is "Product Request"?

After examining the "Product Request" email, we determined that it is spam. This message claims to contain documentation regarding an urgent purchase. The attachment is a phishing file targeting email account log-in credentials.

"Product Request" email scam overview

The email with the subject "Request for Quotes" (may vary) states that the sender has shared a product request for the urgent purchase of certain products. The letter asks the recipient to review and respond to the attachment.

It must be stressed that all these claims are false, and this mail is in no way associated with any legitimate service providers.

The attached file – "Request for Quotes#.shtml" (filename may vary) – requests the user to sign into their email account. Information entered into this phishing file is recorded and sent to the cyber criminals. Hence, the exposed email and the content registered through it can get hijacked.

To expand on the potential misuse, scammers can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, chats, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Furthermore, finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, cryptocurrency wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and/or online purchases.

What is more, any sensitive, confidential, or compromising content discovered on hijacked data storage or similar platforms could be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes.

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

If you have already provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Product Request" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient is asked to review attached product purchase documents.
Attachment(s)	Request for Quotes#.shtml (filename may vary)
Detection Names (attachment)	Avast (JS:Phishing-FB [Phish]), Combo Cleaner (JS:Trojan.Cryxos.10356), ESET-NOD32 (HTML/Phishing.Agent.DOD), Microsoft (Trojan:Win32/Phonzy.B!ml), Symantec (Trojan.Gen.NPE), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
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

"Release All Of Your Held Messages", "You Have New Held Messages", and "Your Mail Version Is Currently Being Disconnected" are merely a couple examples of phishing emails we have inspected recently.

This mail is used to promote various scams and even to distribute malware. Spam emails can be full of spelling and grammatical errors or wear competent disguises of messages from genuine service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, and other entities.

It is essential to treat incoming mail (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, etc.) with caution since these messages are prevalent and can be incredibly convincing.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are often utilized in malware proliferation. Deceptive emails/messages can include malicious files as attachments or download links. Infectious files can be executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

Malware download/installation processes are initiated when such a file is opened. However, some formats may require additional interaction to trigger system infection processes. To elaborate, Microsoft Office documents need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote files require them to click on embedded files/links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent. It is important to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since their "Protected View" mode prevents automatic macro execution.

It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise being careful while browsing since fraudulent and malicious content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Furthermore, all downloads must be performed from official and verified sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates 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 threats/issues. 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 "Product Request" email letter:

Subject: Request for Quotes

Dear *********,

I have shared a product request with your email *********, for some products we need for urgent purchase.

View the attached, review and revert ASAP.

Kind Regards
___________________________

Jim Kroater
VP Procurements

Screenshot of the phishing file attached to the "Product Request" spam email ("Request for Quotes#.shtml"):

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Quick menu:

• What is "Product Request" 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 this mail in mass-scale campaigns – 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 disclosed your account credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. If the provided information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, 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?

Reading an email will not initiate any system infection processes. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened.

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

Whether an infection occurred depends on the file's purpose (i.e., phishing vs. malware infiltration), and it might be impacted by the format. Executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail the moment they are opened. Documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.) may require additional interaction to start malware download/installation chains (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and remove threats. It is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. Note that performing a full system scan is paramount since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.

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