Avoid losing your account via fake "Invoice Request" emails

What kind of email is "Invoice Request"?

Upon reading the "Invoice Request" email, we learned that it is spam. This letter supposedly includes a contract renewal document attached to it. The attachment imitates a PDF document, and it operates as a phishing file that targets log-in credentials.

"Invoice Request" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Re: contract Renewal" (may vary) states that the sender has left a voicemail and requested an invoice several times but expresses doubt that they have been received. Hence, the contract renewal document has been sent again as an attachment in this email. The recipient is requested to review it and inform the sender of their preferred payment method.

It must be emphasized that the information provided by this letter is false, and it is not associated with any real individuals or legitimate entities.

The attachment – "contract 2024.html" (filename may vary) – is a phishing file. This HTML file is disguised as a PDF document.

It tricks users into entering their email log-in credentials by stating – "CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY./ Sign in with your valid email account to view this document./ File protection is enabled. Confirm recipient email to continue./ ... / The contents of this document are confidential and intended solely for the recipient. Reproduction of, or forwarding to anyone not directly sent this document is strictly forbidden.". This file records the entered password and sends it to scammers.

Emails can contain a variety of sensitive information, and they are also used to register other content. Therefore, cyber criminals might be able to gain access to accounts and platforms linked to a compromised email.

Scammers can variously abuse the unauthorized access, e.g., steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, endorse scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Vulnerable or compromising content discovered on hijacked accounts can be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes. While stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Invoice Request" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials to a phishing file or site – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Invoice Request" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient is requested to review the attachment and indicate their preferred payment method.
Attachment(s)	contract 2024.html (filename may vary)
Detection Names	Avast (HTML:PhishingMS-BAD [Phish]), Combo Cleaner (JS:Trojan.JS.Phishing.ED), ESET-NOD32 (HTML/Phishing.Agent.EDF), Kaspersky (Hoax.HTML.Phish.amv), Symantec (Trojan.Gen.NPE), 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.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have written about countless spam campaigns; "Switch To New Server", "Agreement Update", and "Quote For The Attached Products" are merely a couple examples of phishing emails.

This mail is often poorly constructed and full of spelling/grammatical errors. However, it can also be incredibly convincing and competently disguised as messages from genuine companies, institutions, service providers, authorities, or other entities. Spam mail is used to promote various scams, and it is even used to distribute malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails/messages can have malicious files attached to or linked inside them. These files spread malware, and they come in various formats. For example, virulent files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening such a file is enough to initiate malware download/installation processes. Some formats do require extra interaction to jumpstart system infection chains. For example, Microsoft Office documents need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote files require them to click on embedded links/files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We recommend treating incoming emails and other messages with caution. Attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent.

However, malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise being careful while browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content typically appears genuine and harmless.

Furthermore, all downloads must be made from official and verified sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

We must stress the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software is 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 "Invoice Request" spam email letter:

Subject: Re: contract Renewal

Hello -,

I left a voicemail and requested invoice a couple of times, I am not sure if you got it but ive put pen on paper. I Attached it once again. Can you please let me know when you will be able to start and your preferred payment method.

Thank you - we appreciate it very much.

Sincerely,

Gerald & Suzanne

Sent from my Iphone

Screenshot of the phishing file attached to the "Invoice Request" spam email ("contract 2024.html"):

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Quick menu:

• What is "Invoice Request" 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, even if they include details relevant to the recipients. This mail is distributed in massive operations – 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 disclosed your account credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if you've provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Opening/Reading an email is harmless. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened.

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

Whether an infection occurred depends on the purpose of the file, e.g., phishing vs. malware download/installation. The format of a malicious file might also influence the outcome.

If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your device was infected. However, you might have avoided compromising the system if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may need additional interaction to begin downloading/installing malware (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. It must be mentioned that performing a full system scan is essential since high-end malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.

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