Avoid having your email account stolen via fake "RFQ Doc List" email

What kind of email is "RFQ Doc List"?

After inspecting the "RFQ Doc List" spam email, we determined that it is promoting a phishing scam. It targets email account log-in credentials through a phishing file by presenting the letter as a potential business proposal.

"RFQ Doc List" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "RFQ doclist 0-93297 Emirates Ajman" (may vary) informs that the attachment contains an RFQ (Request For Quote) documentation. The recipient is requested to confirm the delivery date and payment methods.

It must be stressed that these claims are false, and this mail is in no way associated with Emirates Marble or any other legitimate companies or entities.

The attachment – "rfq_doclist 0-93297.htm" (filename may vary) – is presented as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. It states that the user must use their email account password as a verification measure to access the sensitive information. This HTML document is a phishing file that records provided data and sends it to scammers.

Cyber criminals are particularly interested in hijacking emails, as they are used to register other accounts, platforms, and services – hence, this content may get stolen as well.

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

Furthermore, should confidential/compromising content be found on compromised data storage or similar platforms – it could be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes. What is more, finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "RFQ Doc List" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

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

Threat Summary:

Name	"RFQ Doc List" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient is requested to review the attached RFQ.
Attachment(s)	rfq_doclist 0-93297.htm (filename may vary)
Detection Names	Avast (HTML:PhishingMS-AZV [Phish]), Combo Cleaner (Generic.Fake.Login.G.C812E02D), DrWeb (JS.Phishing.513), Fortinet (HTML/Phish.6E25!tr), Microsoft (Trojan:HTML/Phish!MTB), 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

We have analyzed countless spam emails; "Intuit QuickBooks Database Encryption Upgrade", "Voicemail Message Received", "American Express - Account Validation Required", and "You Have Received An Encrypted Document" are merely some examples of ones used for phishing.

Various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is utilized in malware proliferation. These emails can be plain and full of errors or be competently disguised as legitimate companies, service providers, institutions, authorities, and other entities.

Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we strongly advise being careful with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are often used to distribute malware. These emails/messages spread malicious files as attachments or download links. Virulent files can be archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once a malicious file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection chain is triggered. Some formats may need extra actions to jumpstart system infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded links/files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious.

Another recommendation is to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro command execution.

However, malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant when browsing since fake and dangerous online content typically appears genuine and harmless.

It is essential to download only from official and verified sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may 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 detected threats and 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 "RFQ Doc List" spam email letter:

Subject: RFQ doclist 0-93297 Emirates Ajman

Dear -,

Hope All is well,

Please attach is our RFQ doc list. confirm delivery date and payment medthods.
Awaiting your kind respond,

Regards,

Salem Farid |Manager

Address: Emirates Marble, Ajman 3363 ,UAE
Tel : +971 6 74 80 693
Fax: +971 6 74 80 854
Email: info@emiratesmarbleuae.com
Web: Www.emiratesmarbleuae.com

Screenshot of the phishing file attached to this spam email ("rfq_doclist 0-93297.htm"):

Yet another example of an email from "RFQ Doc List" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: Urgent Enquiry for Quotation

We are looking to get a proposal on the list attached. Attached is an RFQ for purchase

from our Client, please Offer your best rate in USD.

Let me know if any further info is needed.

Kindly respond ASAP

Thanks for your prompt attention on this matter.

Waiting to hear from you.

Regards,

Frank
Offshore Purchasing Senior Manager
Samsung Heavy Industries Co.,Ltd.
Tel : +82-(0)55-630-4505
M/P : +82-(0)10-2853-4146
Email: mailto:frank.lee@gmail.com

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Quick menu:

• What is "RFQ Doc List" 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 campaigns are massive operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical emails.

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 without delay. And if you've provided other private information (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?

Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened; merely reading an email is harmless.

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

That depends on the opened file's purpose (i.e., phishing vs. malware downoad/installation) and may be impacted by its format. If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your device was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats may need additional interaction to initiate infection processes, such as enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan devices and remove threats. It is capable of detecting and eliminating practically all known malware infections. Note that running a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.

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