Avoid losing your account via fake "Products On LinkedIn" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What kind of email is "Products On LinkedIn"?
Upon inspection, we determined that the "Products On LinkedIn" email is spam. The letter is presented as a potential purchase inquiry. The goal of this mail is to deceive recipients into disclosing their email account log-in credentials to a phishing site.
"Products On LinkedIn" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "Request for quotation of the following Items" (may vary) asks the recipient to provide the best price for the products listed below. It must be emphasized that this purchase inquiry is fake, and this mail is not associated with any real public figures, LinkedIn, or any other legitimate entities.
This letter endorses a fake sign-in page that uses a bogus notice as a lure – "This information system is the property of Gmail. We advise all users to verify their email account for security reasons. By continuing to use the system you indicate your awareness of and consent of these terms and conditions of use".
Log-in credentials entered into this webpage are recorded and sent to cyber criminals. The risk exceeds the loss of an email, as these accounts are typically used to register other content. Hence, scammers may be able to gain access to the linked accounts and platforms.
To expand upon the potential misuse, criminals can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and proliferate malware.
What is more, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, by trusting an email like "Products On LinkedIn" – users can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "Products On LinkedIn" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient is requested to provide a price quotation. |
| 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
"Standard Bank IT3(b) Policy", "Confirm Bank Account", "Giveaway Of Lottery Winnings", "SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Encryption", and "Lack Of Mailbox Bandwidth" are just some examples of phishing campaigns we have investigated recently. This mail most commonly targets log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information.
However, deceptive emails are used to promote various scams and even to spread malware. Due to how widespread spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we strongly recommend caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware is commonly distributed via spam mail. The emails/messages can include infectious files as attachments or download links. The files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once opened, a virulent file initiates the malware download/installation chain. However, some formats require additional interaction to jumpstart these 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 links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is essential to treat incoming emails and other messages with care. We advise against opening attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail, as they can be infectious.
It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated only through spam mail. Therefore, we recommend vigilance while browsing, as fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears harmless.
Furthermore, all downloads must be made from official and trustworthy channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.
It is paramount for device/user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to perform 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 "Products On LinkedIn" spam email letter:
Subject: Request for quotation of the following Items
Hi ********,
Please give me your best price for the below products on LinkedIn network. looking forward to doing business with you
Ms. Lisa Lee
(Purchase Manager Win Lee Co., Ltd.)
Wi Lee Co., Ltd
Hailianchuangye Yuan Binhai Industrial Area, Shuitou Town, Nanan, Fujian China
TEL: 86 557 223089345 FAX: 86 86 557 223089345
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Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Products On LinkedIn" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Products On LinkedIn" 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?
Regardless of any relevant details that they may include, spam emails are not personal. This mail is distributed in large-scale operations – therefore, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) messages.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised 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, merely opening/reading an email is harmless. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.
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 is compromised. However, you might have avoided the infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.). These formats can require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to initiate malware download/installation chains.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. Note that performing a full system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.
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