Avoid getting scammed by "Oversea Credit Commission" phishing emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Oversea Credit Commission"?
Upon inspection of this "Oversea Credit Commission" email, we determined that it is spam. It states that the recipient needs to provide their personal information to have a "diplomatic consignment", which contains millions, sent to them. This phishing mail aims to obtain sensitive data and might also seek to trick recipients into sending money to scammers.
"Oversea Credit Commission" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "VERY URGENT" (may vary) is supposedly from the "Overseas Credit Commission". It states that the collection of the recipient's "consignment/fund content" worth 5.5 million USD must be arranged as soon as possible.
The letter requests to provide the following information: recipient's full name, home address, nearest international airport, and telephone number.
As mentioned in the introduction, all of the information provided by this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate entities.
Personally identifiable details, like those targeted by this spam letter, can be used for a variety of nefarious purposes, including identity theft. It is noteworthy that scams of this kind often request recipients to make bogus payments, e.g., fees for storage, shipping, transactions, etc.
To summarize, by trusting an email like "Oversea Credit Commission" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft. If you have already disclosed your private data – contact the appropriate authorities.
| Name | "Oversea Credit Commission" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient needs to provide their personal information to collect their diplomatic consignment, which is worth $5.5 million. |
| 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. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
We have analyzed countless spam emails; "American Express - Unusual Spending Activities Detected", "Payroll Sheet", "LOTERIA NAVIDAD 2023", "Central Loteria Nacional Europa", and "Purchase Order And Tax Invoice" are merely a few examples of ones used for phishing.
Other scams are also promoted through spam, and it is utilized for malware proliferation. While infamous for being riddled with errors, spam emails can be well-disguised as messages from genuine organizations, companies, institutions, and other entities.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to distribute malware. These emails/messages have infectious files attached to or linked inside them. The files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.
When such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection chain is jumpstarted. Some formats can require additional actions to start downloading/installing malware. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click embedded files or links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We highly recommend treating incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages with caution. Attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent. Another recommendation is to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since their "Protected View" mode prevents automatic macro execution.
It must be mentioned that malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being careful while browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.
Furthermore, all downloads must be performed from official and verified sources. It is just as important to activate and update software using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters may contain malware.
We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated is paramount to device and user safety. 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 "Oversea Credit Commission" spam email letter:
Subject: VERY URGENT
Dear Beneficiary,
On behalf of the board and management of Overseas Credit Commission (OCC), Dubai UAE, I Dr.George Dickson , the Operations Manager wishes to inform you that your consignment/fund content $5.5 million USD tagged diplomatic luggage 122 with Ref: No1226/X42/206 which was deposited in our vault for safe keeping by a Diplomatic courier company (Global) is due for Immediate collection.
Be informed that we have concluded all arrangements to deliver your consignment at your doorstep through diplomatic means.
In line with the binding diplomatic consignment delivery policies, kindly reconfirm the followings to avoid delivering the consignment to the wrong person.
1) YOUR FULL NAMES :......
2) CONTACT ADDRESS ......
3) HOME/CELL PHONE.............
4) Nearest International Airport .......
Meanwhile, we urge you to treat the above requirement with utmost urgency to enable us dispense our duties and obligation accordingly thereby allowing us to serve you in a timely fashion. Upon satisfactory receipt of all the above mentioned, you will be further acquainted with the detailed delivery itinerary including information of the diplomat who will accompany your consignment. As always, feel very free to contact us should you have any further question as our customer’s rights are continuously protected.
Please send these information to our private e-mail address below: loto@lotoshanghais.com
We pledge our best service at all times.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. George Dickson
Foreign Operations Manager,
(OCC) Oversea Credit Commission,
DUBIA UAE
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Quick menu:
- What is "Oversea Credit Commission" 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 them in mass-scale 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 provided personally identifiable or finance related information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the relevant authorities. And if you've disclosed log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, merely opening/reading an email will not result in a system infection. 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?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was infected. Some formats, such as certain documents (.doc, .xls, .one, etc.), might require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to jumpstart malware download/installation processes.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate practically all known malware infections. Note that running a full system scan is crucial since high-end malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.
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