How to avoid falling for emails like "Your Invoice Is Ready"

What kind of scam is "Your Invoice Is Ready"?

Upon thoroughly investigating the email, it has become apparent that it is a scam commonly referred to as phishing. Scammers behind this email aim to trick recipients into believing that their invoice is ready and opening a phishing website. Their purpose is to steal personal information.

More about the "Your Invoice Is Ready" scam email

The phishing email is disguised as a legitimate invoice notification from "Demetrius Comes Handyman Services". It claims that an invoice is ready for payment, totaling $1,600. The email requests prompt payment and expresses gratitude for the recipient's business. It contains an attachment named "SCAN_5689.shtml" (its name may vary).

The attached file is a deceitful HTML document crafted to harvest personal data. Upon opening the attachment, a counterfeit AT&T sign-in form appears, prompting users to input their user ID and password. AT&T is a legitimate company and has no involvement in this scam. The ultimate goal is to trick individuals into entering their login credentials.

Scammers who obtain AT&T credentials can exploit them in various ways for illicit gain. They may attempt to access the victim's AT&T account to gather sensitive personal information, such as billing details or contact information, which can be used for identity theft or sold on the dark web.

Additionally, scammers may use the credentials to make unauthorized purchases of products or services, resulting in financial losses for the victim. Overall, recipients should exercise caution and verify the authenticity of such emails before taking any action to avoid falling victim to phishing scams.

Threat Summary:

Name	Your Invoice Is Ready Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	An invoice is ready
Disguise	Notification from Demetrius Comes Handyman Services
Attachment	SCAN_5689.shtml (its name may vary)
Detection Names (Attachment)	ALYac (HTML.Phishing.2), Combo Cleaner (HTML.Phishing.2), Emsisoft (HTML.Phishing.2 (B)), GData (HTML.Phishing.2), MAX (Malware (ai Score=89)), 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.

Similar scam emails in general

As a rule, phishing emails are aimed at deceiving recipients into divulging sensitive information or taking other harmful actions. They often employ urgent or alarming language to create a sense of urgency, compelling recipients to act quickly without careful scrutiny.

Additionally, phishing emails commonly contain links or attachments that, when clicked or opened, can lead to fake websites or malware executions. These emails often mimic legitimate organizations or services, utilizing logos, formatting, and language that closely resemble official communications to deceive recipients into trusting their authenticity.

More examples of phishing emails are "INCOMING FAX Email Scam", "American Express - Disputed Payment Received Email Scam", and "Incoming Mails Suspended Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Recipients can inadvertently infect their computers by clicking malicious links or opening downloaded infected attachments. Once clicked or opened, they can unleash malware onto the recipient's computer, compromising its security and potentially leading to a range of harmful consequences, such as data theft, system corruption, or unauthorized access by cybercriminals.

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

How to avoid installation of malware?

Exercise caution when opening emails from unknown or suspicious senders, especially those urging urgent action or containing unexpected attachments or links. Ensure that your computer's security software is up-to-date and equipped with robust antivirus and anti-malware protection. Do not trust ads, pop-ups, links, or buttons on shady websites.

Download apps and files from official pages or app stores, and never download pirated software (or cracking tools and key generators). Use reputable security software and run system scans regularly. 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 "Your Invoice Is Ready" email letter:

Subject: [Scan] MARCH DUE INVOICE

Your invoice is ready!

Total $1,600.00

BALANCE DUE$1,600.00

Here's your invoice! We appreciate your prompt payment.

Thanks for your business!
Demetrius Comes Handyman Services

Demetrius Comes Handyman Services
179 niblick rd #271
Chico, CA 96130
info@nobelcareer.com
+1 (562) 653-6559

Screenshot of the HTML attachment used in this phishing campaign:

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▼ 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 Your Invoice Is Ready 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 send out mass emails to thousands of recipients, all containing the same message, in the hope that at least one person will be tricked into falling for their scheme. These spam emails lack personalization and are generic in nature, targeting a wide audience rather than specific individuals.

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

If you have disclosed any account credentials, it is crucial to change all passwords immediately to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, if you have shared any other sensitive personal information, such as credit card details or ID card information,  notify the relevant authorities as soon as possible to mitigate the risk of identity theft or financial fraud.

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

While the attached file in this email does not contain malware and is safe to open, it is important to remain cautious. Cybercriminals often send files and links designed to inject malware into systems.

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

Opening an email by itself poses no threat to your system. However, interacting with links or attached files can potentially lead to system infections.

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

Combo Cleaner is effective at identifying and removing nearly all known malware. Some advanced malware may hide deeply within the system. Therefore, running a full system scan is essential to detect and eliminate all potential threats.

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