How to identify scams like "SharePoint Invoice"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "SharePoint Invoice"?
After carefully examining the email, we have determined that it is a fraudulent message crafted to entice unsuspecting recipients into accessing a deceptive website. These scammers use the website to pilfer personal information. Such deceptive emails are commonly referred to as phishing emails.
More about the "SharePoint Invoice" scam email
This phishing email mentions various documents, including B/L (bill of lading), commercial invoice, and proforma invoice, seemingly implying they are attached or accessible via SharePoint. It urges the recipient to "Review Documents" with a hyperlink, inviting them to click to purportedly view and sign the documents.
Additionally, the email includes a suggestion to subscribe for automatic actions in the future. It is a typical phishing attempt to trick recipients into providing personal information. Clicking the "Review Documents" link leads users to a fraudulent email account sign-in page.
This counterfeit page is cleverly designed to mimic the appearance of a legitimate sign-in page tailored to the recipient's email service provider. For example, if the recipient uses Gmail, the fake website will mimic the Gmail sign-in portal. This deceptive page aims to harvest email addresses and passwords, thereby compromising users' email account login credentials.
Scammers can use the compromised accounts to send further phishing emails to the victim's contacts, expanding their pool of potential targets. They can also access sensitive information stored within the email account, such as personal correspondence, financial data, or login credentials for other accounts.
Additionally, scammers may gain access to other online accounts belonging to the victim (if those accounts use the same or similar login credentials).
| Name | SharePoint Invoice Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipients need to view and sign the provided documents |
| Disguise | Letter regarding a bill of lading, commercial invoice, and proforma invoice. |
| 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
Emails of this type usually have deceptive subject lines designed to grab the recipient's attention, urgent language prompting immediate action, and requests for personal information or credentials. They often contain links to fraudulent websites or attachments. Additionally, phishing emails may exhibit poor grammar or spelling errors, inconsistent branding, and unfamiliar sender addresses.
Despite variations in content and tactics, the primary goal of phishing emails remains consistent: to trick recipients into divulging confidential information or even unwittingly installing malicious software.
Examples of phishing emails are "ShareFile - Advance Payment Approval", "SharePoint Editor", and "Authentication Request".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware distribution via email entails camouflaging harmful software within attachments or on unreliable websites in deceptive emails. Cybercriminals orchestrating these campaigns aim to deceive users into unwittingly triggering the malware through these links or files. Once activated, the malware infiltrates the victim's device.
Common file types employed in such email-based malware distribution include executables (.exe), Microsoft Office documents (e.g., .doc, .xls, .ppt), PDF files, compressed archives (e.g., .zip, .rar), and JavaScript files (.js).
How to avoid installation of malware?
Download software and files solely from trusted sources such as official websites and app stores. Avoid using pirated software, cracking tools, or key generators. Be careful with email attachments or links, especially those from unknown senders or showing signs of dubious content.
Regularly updating the operating system, applications, and antivirus software is essential. Stay alert for suspicious links, pop-ups, or ads, particularly on questionable websites. Installing reputable antivirus or anti-malware software and performing regular system scans provide additional security measures. 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 "SharePoint Invoice" email letter:
Subject: Kindly Confirm SharePoint for - Friday, April 5, 2024
Documents
SharePointB/L, Commercial Invoice, Proforma invoice
(Follow below view sign and return this document)
Review Documents
If you wish to automatically perform this action next time: Subscribe Now
Website used to steal login credentials:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is SharePoint Invoice 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?
The email you received is part of a widespread scam. These scams cast a wide net, targeting numerous recipients simultaneously rather than being personalized to specific individuals.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
Begin by changing any passwords that may have been compromised. Additionally, consider reporting the incident to your email service provider and any other platforms or services where your accounts may be at risk of compromise.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
If the file is an executable, it is probable that your system has been compromised by malware. However, if it is a document like a PDF or Word file, you may have evaded infection. Merely opening these types of documents does not necessarily result in computer infections.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Merely opening an email is generally safe. However, interacting with its contents, such as clicking links or opening attachments, can expose your system to infection.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
While Combo Cleaner effectively addresses most known malware types, more sophisticated threats may lurk deep within your system. Therefore, executing a comprehensive full system scan is crucial to ensure thorough detection and removal of all potential threats.
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