Do not trust fake "Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana"?
After reading the "Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter details a government tender in Ghana and invites the recipient's company to participate.
It must be stressed that this information is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate entities. Spam emails of this kind typically target funds or sensitive information.
"Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "TENDER BIDDING SUPPLY PROJECT" (may vary) informs the recipient of a government tender in Ghana, basically – an offer/invitation to bid for a project. The governmental overseers of the project have expressed interest in the recipient's company products.
This tender is open to foreign suppliers, provided their production meets international standards. The sender identifies themselves as the representative of a company serving as the government's contract negotiator and facilitator.
If the recipient's company wins the bid, they will receive an upfront payment and 20% of the total prior to shipment. Upon the order's completion, the recipient will receive the rest of the payment and will be required to pay 2% to the sender for their commission as the contract negotiator/facilitator.
The letter states that the recipient will have to submit their official tender registration to the "Project Board" for approval before sending the documentation for supply/bidding.
As mentioned in the introduction, all the claims made by "Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana" are false, and this mail is in no way associated with Ghana's government or any other genuine entities.
Scams promoted through spam mail of this kind can operate in a variety of ways. It is evident that this email aims to deceive recipients into communicating with scammers, yet how it progresses from that point on can differ drastically.
This spam targets individuals associated with business – hence, the cyber criminals behind this scam could seek sensitive information or to infect company networks (e.g., with trojans, ransomware, or other malware).
The data could be obtained through social engineering, phishing websites/files, or information-stealing malware, and it could be used for a range of nefarious purposes. The vulnerable information could be held for ransom under the threat of being leaked or sold. Alternatively, the data could be used to steal accounts and identities, facilitate fraudulent transactions, or make online purchases.
Scammers may deceive victims into sending them money by presenting it as commission payments, taxes, or different fees. Difficult-to-trace methods are used to obtain funds, e.g., cryptocurrencies, gift cards, cash hidden in packages and shipped, etc. Relying on such methods lowers the chances of criminals getting prosecuted and victims recovering their money.
To summarize, victims of scams like "Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana" could experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you believe that your network has been infected – perform a full system scan with an anti-virus and eliminate all detected threats.
And if you suspect that scammers are in possession of your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if the exposed data was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.
Name | "Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana" spam email |
Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
Fake Claim | Offer/Invitation (tender) for a project in Ghana. |
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. |
Spam campaigns in general
"Pfizer Supply", "DNS Error", "Crédit Agricole", "Treasures For Safekeeping", "Your System Has Been Cracked", "Wells Fargo - Account Verification Required", and "Messages In Soundbox" are just some of our latest articles on spam campaigns.
This mail is used in scam promotion and malware proliferation. Various false claims are utilized to gain and abuse recipients' trust; common ones include business proposals, investment inquiries, purchase orders, invoices, delivery mishaps, account issues, subscription expirations/renewals, inheritances, financial schemes, lotteries, etc.
While the commonly held belief that spam emails are shoddily crafted and full of grammatical/spelling errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. These letters can be competently made and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, service providers, and other entities.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns are commonly used in malware distribution. These emails/messages can include malicious files as attachments or download links. The files come in various formats, e.g., archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Merely opening a virulent file can be enough to initiate the system infection chain. However, some formats need extra actions to jumpstart these processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.
It must be mentioned that malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise vigilance while browsing, as fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears genuine and harmless.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.
We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. 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 "Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana" spam email letter:
Subject: TENDER BIDDING SUPPLY PROJECT
Dear Sir/Madam, We kindly inform your company about a government tender supply project in Ghana, and they are also interested in your products for a government contract supply project for the supply of various items This Tender is open to foreign suppliers whose company products meet international standards. My company is registered with Project Board as a government contract negotiator and facilitator. My commission in every successful contract awarded through my recommendation is 2% of the total value. Terms of Payment: If the Order is given to you, An upfront payment of 80 (T/T) will be made to your account, while 20% will be paid before shipment. Your company will pay my 2% commission after the contract has been consummated and the supplier receives full 100% payment in their Account. You will need to do official tender registration with the Project Board when you are submitting your Supply/bidding documents for approval before award. Thanks, Mr. John Duke NTI Francis Ghana LTD 35 Asafoatse Nettey Road, Accra, Central, Ghana P.O.Box 792,Accra-Ghana, +233 20 128 6605
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Quick menu:
- What is "Government Tender Supply Project In Ghana" spam 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. Any such information in spam mail is typically obtained through publicly available sources or phishing scams. Cyber criminals distribute these emails in large-scale campaigns, so 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 provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. And if you've disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact relevant authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, opening/reading an email will not trigger any malware download/installation chains. Systems 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 while was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the device was infected. However, you might have avoided the infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional user interaction to begin downloading/installing malware (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded files/links, etc.).
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to eliminate all manner of threats. It can detect and remove most of the known malware infections. Note that since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems – performing a complete system scan is essential.
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