Avoid having your account stolen via fake "Quote Order" emails

What kind of email is "Quote Order"?

Our examination of the "Quote Order" email revealed that it is spam. The fake letter requests to review the attached quote order. However, this email does not include an attachment, and the button in the body of the letter redirects to a phishing website. It mimics the recipient's email account sign-in page and records entered credentials.

"Quote Order" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Request for Quotation - RFQ 22-31403 TO CHINA" (may vary) states that it includes an attachment containing a quote order. The recipient is asked to provide their competitive FOB (Free On Board) price. Supposedly, if it is confirmed that the recipient ships to China, the sender will proceed with payment.

As indicated in the introduction, all the information provided by this email is false, and this mail is in no way associated with any legitimate entities.

While the letter does not have any file attachments, there is a button – "NEW QUOTATION" – presented in it. After we pressed this button, it resulted in a redirect to a phishing website. It imitates the recipient's email sign-in page. Despite the relatively legitimate appearance, the website is fake, and records entered information.

In addition to losing their emails, victims can have the content registered through them stolen as well. To expand upon the potential abuse, scammers can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Furthermore, hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases. What is more, any sensitive, confidential, or compromising content found on data storage or similar platforms could be used for blackmail or other malicious purposes.

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

If you have disclosed your account credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Quote Order" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient is requested to review the order and send their competitive FOB price.
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

"Email Requires A Mandatory Authentication", "Money Order Check", "JPMorgan Chase Online Security Department", and "Switch To New Version" are just some examples of phishing emails we have reviewed recently.

This mail predominantly targets the log-in credentials of various accounts, personally identifiable details, and finance-related data (e.g., banking account details, credit card numbers, etc.). Aside from facilitating scams, spam mail can also proliferate malware.

Due to how widespread spam is and how well-crafted it can be – we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails/messages can contain malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

When an infectious file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the malware download/installation is triggered. However, some formats may need additional actions to start these processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded files/links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

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

It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being cautious while browsing since fake and malicious online content typically appears genuine and innocuous.

Furthermore, all downloads must be performed from official and verified sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update software by using legitimate 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 programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected 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 "Quote Order" spam email letter:

Subject: Request for Quotation - RFQ 22-31403 TO CHINA

Dear Sir/ma'am,

Kindly find attached our quote order and give us your competitive FOB price.

We will proceed with payment Immediately if you can ship to China.

Please submit your offers on or before  Oct 18, 2023

NEW QUOTATION

   
------------
Thanks & Best Regards
Teresa Li (Ms.)  
Head Of Procurement

Email： bdd05@ecbcs.com
Mobile：+86-176 8092 7355
Whatsapp/Wechat:+86-156 7092 7355

Operation |  ECBEC Limited

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Quote Order" spam campaign:

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. 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.

Quick menu:

• What is "Quote 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 in large-scale campaigns – hence, 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 log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts. If the provided information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

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

No, opening an email will not trigger any system infection chains. Devices are compromised when malicious attachments or links are opened.

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

Whether your device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your system was compromised. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may need extra actions to begin downloading/installing malware (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating practically all known malware infections. It must be stressed that performing a full system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.

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