How to avoid infecting a computer via the "PMR Law Group" campaign
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "PMR Law Group email virus"?
After a thorough examination of this email, it has been ascertained that it is a deceptive email designed to coax recipients into opening the attached file. The primary objective of the cybercriminals orchestrating this campaign is to mislead recipients into unwittingly running malicious software on their computers.
More about the "PMR Law Group" campaign
This fraudulent email is disguised as a communication from PMR Law Group, purportedly representing a client seeking payment for an overdue debt. It is important to note that PMR Law is a reputable and genuine law firm that is in no way associated with the fraudulent activity in question. Scammers often impersonate legitimate companies to deceive unsuspecting individuals.
The email creates a sense of urgency by claiming that the debt is already three months overdue, justifying their need for legal intervention. It includes a request for payment, urging the recipient to settle the amount in full within 14 days of receiving the email. Additionally, it offers an option to discuss alternative payment arrangements if the recipient cannot pay immediately.
This email has a document attached to it named "PMR Law - Client Statement of Account.doc" (its name may vary). When users open this document, they encounter text that cannot be read, and they are given the option to enable editing. Opting for the latter choice enables the malicious document to inject malware into the computer.
A malicious document can carry a variety of malware types, each with its malicious intent. One common type is ransomware, which encrypts a user's files and demands a ransom for their release. Another threat is trojans, which appear as legitimate software but give attackers unauthorized access to the victim's system, allowing for data theft or further malware deployment.
Spyware is also a concern, as it stealthily monitors users' activities and collects sensitive information without their knowledge. Worms can self-replicate and spread through networks, infecting multiple devices. Lastly, keyloggers capture keystrokes, potentially compromising sensitive data like login credentials.
| Name | PMR Law Group malspam campaign |
| Threat Type | Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware. |
| Hoax | The sender is seeking payment for an overdue debt. |
| Attachment(s) | PMR Law - Client Statement of Account.doc (its name may vary) |
| Detection Names | ALYac (Exploit.CVE-2017-11882), Combo Cleaner (Exploit.RTF-ObfsObjDat.Gen), Emsisoft (Exploit.RTF-ObfsObjDat.Gen (B)), Kaspersky (HEUR:Exploit.MSOffice.CVE-2018-0802.gen), Microsoft (Exploit:O97M/CVE-2017-11882.SZS!MTB), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Trojans are designed to stealthily infiltrate the victim's computer and remain silent, and thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine. |
| Payload | Unknown |
| Distribution methods | Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software 'cracks'. |
| Damage | Stolen passwords and banking information, identity theft, the victim's computer added to a botnet. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Similar emails in general
Emails of this kind often use urgent or intimidating language to pressure recipients into taking immediate action. They contain links or attachments that, when interacted with, lead to malicious websites or deliver malware. Additionally, these emails often offer unexpected financial windfalls or prizes or impersonate trusted institutions or individuals in an attempt to deceive recipients into complying with their requests.
Examples of similar emails are "Barclays Payment Advice Email Virus", "WebMail Server Manager Email Virus", and "Shipping Bills & Export Declaration Form Email Virus".
How did "PMR Law Group email virus" infect my computer?
The attachment in this email is a malicious MS Office document. When the user opens the document and enables editing (macros commands), it triggers the execution of malicious code embedded within the document. Enabling editing serves as a trigger for the document to download or execute malware onto the victim's system.
How to avoid installation of malware?
In order to avoid falling victim to malware attacks, it is crucial to exercise caution when opening email attachments, especially if the source is unverified or the content seems suspicious. Keeping software and operating systems up to date with security patches can also help protect against known vulnerabilities that attackers may exploit.
Additional methods to keep computers safe are avoiding interacting with ads, links, pop-ups, etc., while visiting suspicious pages and never downloading pirated software, cracking tools, key generators, etc. Also, it is recommended to use official pages and app stores when downloading apps and files and avoid using other sources (e.g., P2P networks or third-party downloaders).
If you have already opened "PMR Law Group email virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "PMR Law Group email virus" email letter:
Good day Sir,
On behalf of our client, we at PMR Law Group are writing to inform you of an overdue payment owed to our client. According to the agreement between you and our client, the said amount is already overdue by 3months hence the request for legal intervention.
As per the attached statement, kindly pay-up this amount in full within 14days from the date of this letter. However, if you are unable to pay at this time,please contact us to discuss firm payment date as we are happy to discus available options with you.
We are available Mon - Fri (7:30am -5:00pm). We can also be reached with (314) 609-9378.
Regards
Kate Bowden
Debt Recovery Assosiate
PMR Law Group
2718 W Osage St, Pacific, MO 63069
Malicious attachment distributed via "PMR Law Group email virus" spam campaign:
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:
▼ 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 PMR Law Group malspam campaign?
- 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?
Criminals send identical letters to many people, hoping that someone will be tricked. These spam emails are not personalized.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by a scam email, what should I do?
If you have shared any account information, update your passwords right away. If you have shared personal data like credit card details or ID card info, contact the relevant authorities (e.g., your bank) without delay.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to this email, is my computer infected?
Enabling the edit feature in the attached file within this email can lead to a computer infection. However, it is important to note that this document cannot infect computers unless the edit feature is enabled, except in cases where it is opened using an MS Office version released before year 2010.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, reading emails without opening malicious links or attachments is safe.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner has the capability to detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. It is essential to be aware that advanced malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. Consequently, conducting a comprehensive system scan is imperative to ensure thorough detection and removal.
Outstanding!
▼ Show Discussion