Avoid losing your account through fake "Adobe Scan" emails

What kind of email is "Adobe Scan"?

After investigating this "Adobe Scan" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter makes false claims regarding a document scanned using the Adobe Scan scanner app and sent to the recipient. The goal of this phishing mail is to deceive users into disclosing their email account log-in credentials.

"Adobe Scan" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Adobe Scan Dec 05, 2023.pdf" (may vary) states that a file has been sent to the recipient. The document was created using the Adobe Scan scanner application.

It must be stressed that the information provided by this email is false, and this mail is not associated with Adobe Inc. or any of its products/services. This fake "Adobe Scan" letter promotes a phishing website disguised as an email account sign-in page. This site records entered information (i.e., log-in credentials) and sends it to scammers.

The threat exceeds the loss of an email; these accounts are commonly used to register other content – hence, the cyber criminals may hijack it as well.

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

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

In summary, by trusting an email like "Adobe Scan" – users may experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing webpage – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Adobe Scan" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient has been sent a document created via Adobe Scan.
Related Domains	scan-adobe[.]top
Detection Names (scan-adobe[.]top)	Avira (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), alphaMountain.ai (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (scan-adobe[.]top)	104.21.71.26
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

"IPS Pending Package Delivery", "Incoming Mail Notification", "DHL Unpaid Duty", and "Microsoft Security Team - Password Expiration" are just a few examples of phishing emails we have investigated recently.

Aside from this type of scam, spam is also used to promote sextortion, callback, refund, lottery, inheritance, service cancellation/renewal, and various other kinds of schemes. Additionally, deceptive mail is utilized in malware distribution.

These emails can be plain and full of errors or be competently disguised as messages from legitimate companies, service providers, institutions, authorities, and other entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to spread malware. These emails/messages may include malicious files as attachments or download links. The files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on. Upon opening, an infectious file initiates malware download/installation.

Some formats can require additional user interaction to jumpstart system infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent. We recommend using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since their "Protected View" mode prevents automatic macro command execution.

However, malware is not proliferated only through spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being careful while browsing, as fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and verified sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.

It is paramount for device/user safety to have a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated. 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 "Adobe Scan" spam email letter:

Subject: Adobe Scan Dec 05, 2023.pdf

Adobe Scan Dec 05, 2023.pdf: -

Created and shared using Adobe Scan.
Get the app:-

Sent from Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Adobe Scan Dec 05, 2023.pdf: -

Created and shared using Adobe Scan.
Get the app:-

Sent from Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Adobe Scan" 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 "Adobe Scan" 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. They are distributed in massive campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive identical messages.

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 the provided information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant authorities.

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

No, reading an email is harmless. Systems 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?

If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – since these formats cause infections almost without fail. However, you might have avoided compromising the system if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). Said formats may require extra actions to start 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 nearly all known malware infections. It must be stressed that performing a full system scan is key – since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.

▼ Show Discussion