How to identify scams like "WeTransfer - Order Specifications"

What is "WeTransfer - Order Specifications"?

Our analysis of the email identified it as a fake notification posing as a letter from WeTransfer, a Dutch internet-based file transfer service company. The email is designed to deceive recipients into divulging personal information, a tactic commonly known as phishing. Emails of this kind should be ignored.

More about the "WeTransfer - Order Specifications" scam email

The phishing email masquerades as a legitimate notification from WeTransfer, claiming to contain order specifications. It prompts the recipient to click on a link labeled "Download images" to view images associated with the order. The email appears to be sent from the address salesac@galaxyfkt.com and indicates that the files include a total of seven items with a combined size of 117 MB.

The message urges the recipient to respond with a quotation and lead time accordingly. It also lists items, including a purchase order document, images, a video file, and other documents. However, the entire email is a deceptive attempt to trick recipients into clicking the link and disclosing sensitive information.

Opening the provided link leads to a fake login page designed to trick visitors into providing login credentials (email address and password). Scammers may use the information to gain unauthorized access to the victim's email account, enabling them to monitor communications, intercept sensitive information, and conduct further phishing attacks by sending deceptive emails to the victim's contacts.

Additionally, scammers often attempt to exploit the credentials across multiple platforms, testing if the victim uses the same login details elsewhere. If successful, they may access other online accounts, including banking, social media, or shopping platforms, allowing them to perpetrate identity theft, financial fraud, or other nefarious activities.

If users receive such an email, they should refrain from clicking any links or providing any information. Instead, they should report the email as phishing to their email provider and delete it immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	WeTransfer - Order Specifications Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipients have received order specifications via WeTransfer
Disguise	Notification from WeTransfer
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.

Similar scam emails in general

Phishing emails typically have common characteristics, including urgent requests for personal information or account verification, unfamiliar senders or suspicious email addresses, grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, and clickable links leading to untrusted websites.

The goal of phishing emails is to deceive recipients into divulging sensitive information such as login credentials, financial details, or personal data, which can then be used for fraudulent purposes such as identity theft, financial fraud, or unauthorized access to accounts.

Also, emails of this kind can be used to deliver malware. More examples of similar emails are "Employees Performance Report", "Bank Confirmation", and "Scam Relief Fund Initiative".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Computer infections via email typically occur when users inadvertently open malicious attachments or click on links in phishing emails. Once opened or clicked, the attachments or links may contain malware, infecting the user's computer and compromising its security.

Files commonly used to deliver malware via email include executable files (such as .exe or .bat), Microsoft Office documents (such as .doc or .xls), PDF files, compressed archives (such as .zip or .rar), and JavaScript files (such as .js).

How to avoid installation of malware?

Exercise caution with unsolicited emails received from unfamiliar senders. Avoid opening attachments or clicking on links in emails unless you can verify their authenticity. Ensure that all software, including the operating system and antivirus programs, is regularly updated. Refrain from engaging with advertisements and pop-ups on dubious websites.

Download programs and files exclusively from reputable sources, such as official websites and app stores. Avoid downloading cracking tools or pirated software. Conduct regular scans of your computer for potential threats. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "WeTransfer - Order Specifications" email letter:

Subject:

Click 'Download images' to view images

salesac@galaxyfkt.com
sent you Order Specifications
7 items, 117 MB in total ・ Expires on 12 February, 2024

Order Specifications Kindly send Quotation & Lead time accordingly
Get your files
 
Download link
hxxps://wetransfer.com/downloads
7 items

Purchase_order.pdf
18 MB
Img_0210.jpg
2 MB
Test.mp4
43 MB
Sample_product-based business.qbw
27 MB
Img_0289.jpg
2 MB
Specifications.pdf
12 MB
Scan_documents.zip
13 MB

To make sure our emails arrive, please add noreply@wetransfer.com to your contacts.
About WeTransfer   ・   Help   ・   Legal   ・   Report this transfer as spam

Screenshot of the phishing website presented in this email:

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Quick menu:

• What is WeTransfer - Order Specifications phishing 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?

Scammers distribute identical emails to thousands of recipients, employing a bulk approach in the hopes of tricking at least one person. These spam emails lack personalization (scammers rarely target someone in particular).

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

Immediately change your password for the affected account and enable any available security measures, such as multi-factor authentication, to enhance account protection. Additionally, you should closely monitor your account for suspicious activity and consider reporting the incident to the relevant authorities or the organization managing the compromised account.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an, is my computer infected?

Whether your computer is infected depends on the type of file you downloaded and opened. For example, if you download and open an executable file, your computer may be infected. However, if you open a Microsoft Office document, the risk of infection is lower.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Simply opening an email poses no threat to your system. System infections cannot be caused via email without opening links or attachments.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner can effectively detect and remove nearly all recognized malware infections. However, it's essential to note that sophisticated malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. Therefore, a full system scan is imperative to ensure detection and removal.

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