Avoid getting scammed by fake "Commerzbank" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is this fake "Commerzbank" letter?
After inspecting this "Commerzbank" email, we determined that it is fake. This spam letter requests the recipient to provide their identification to avoid cessation of their banking services.
It must be emphasized that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with the actual Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft or any other legitimate entities. This spam letter promotes a phishing website targeting recipients' Commerzbank account log-in credentials.
"Commerzbank" email scam overview
According to a rough translation from German, the spam email with the subject "Starten Sie Ihre Online-Identifizierung [Erinnerung]" (may vary) informs the recipient that they have been requested to provide their online identification – however, the required information has not been received.
The recipient has to verify themselves before the deadline to continue using the Commerzbank digital banking services. The letter provides a reference code that is valid for 24 hours, and it has to be used when signing in through the linked webpage.
It must be reiterated that the information provided by this scam email is false, and this mail is in no way associated with the real Commerzbank or any other genuine entities.
This email promotes a phishing website disguised as a page of Commerzbank's official site. Log-in credentials entered into this fake webpage are recorded and sent to scammers. Thus, the cyber criminals behind this campaign may steal the exposed online bank accounts. They could then be used to carry out unauthorized transactions or online purchases. Banking accounts can also include sensitive information that scammers may abuse.
To summarize, victims of spam mail like this fake "Commerzbank" email can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing site – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. It might also be necessary to contact the appropriate authorities.
| Name | "Commerzbank" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient needs to provide their online identification to continue using banking services. |
| Disguise | Commerzbank |
| Related Domains | commerzbank-de[.]com |
| Detection Names (commerzbank-de[.]com) | alphaMountain.ai (Phishing), Bfore.Ai PreCrime (Malicious), Combo Cleaner (Malware), CRDF (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), Lionic (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (commerzbank-de[.]com) | 172.67.190.138 |
| 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
"Seeking Partnership Investment", "Specification For The Item Requested", "Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes", "Commercial Invoice", and "Wells Fargo - Card Activity Verification" are merely some examples of phishing emails.
This mail predominantly targets log-in credentials (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, emails, social networking, etc.), personally identifiable data, and finance-related information.
However, spam is used to promote other scams and to proliferate malware as well. These emails can be poorly crafted and full of errors, or they can be well-made and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities.
Due to how widespread spam mail is and convincing it can be – we highly recommend treating incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages with caution.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to distribute malware. The email/messages can have virulent files attached to or linked inside them. These files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
The infection chain is initiated once a malicious file is opened. However, some formats may need extra interaction to trigger system infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Incoming emails and other messages must be approached with vigilance. Attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be open, as it can be harmful or infectious.
It has to be mentioned that malware is not distributed exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we advise exercising caution while browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous 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 functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.
It is paramount for device integrity and user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. 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 "Commerzbank" spam email letter:
Subject: Starten Sie Ihre Online-Identifizierung [Erinnerung]
Sehr geehrter Kunde,
wir haben Sie kürzlich gebeten, sich online zu identifizieren. Leider haben wir Ihre Identifizierung noch nicht erhalten.
Ohne Identifizierung können Sie die Dienste von Commerzbank Digital Banking ab dem 2. Juni nicht mehr nutzen. Zur Identifizierung benötigen Sie die Referenznummer aus dieser E-Mail.
Ihre Referenznummer: 177792.
Bitte beachten Sie, dass dieser Code 24 Stunden lang gültig ist.
Melden Sie sich bei Digital Banking an über: commerzbank.de/online-identifikation.
1. Geben Sie die erforderlichen Informationen ein.
2. Vervollständigen Sie Ihre SMS-Verifizierung.
3. Die Identifizierung ist abgeschlossen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Ihre Commerzbank AG
© 2024 Commerzbank AG, Frankfurt am Main
Screenshot of the fake Commerzbank website promoted by this spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Commerzbank" 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. These messages are distributed in large-scale operations – therefore, thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar emails.
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 you've provided information of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, reading an email is harmless. Devices 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 your system was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. If it was an executable (.exe, run, etc.) – most likely, yes. However, you might have avoided the infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf. etc.). These formats may need additional actions 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 designed to scan systems and eliminate all kinds of threats. It can detect and remove most of the known malware infections. Note that performing a full system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.
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