Avoid losing your email account via fake "Bank Account Details" emails

What kind of email is "Bank Account Details"?

After investigating the "Bank Account Details" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter in question claims that the recipient has recently changed their banking information and that they can review their payment receipt in the attached file. Instead, this attachment redirects to a phishing website targeting log-in credentials.

"Bank Account Details" email scam overview

This spam email requests the recipient to review the attached payment receipt, and reminds them they they had recently changed their banking account details. Based on the letter's subject – "Job# payment - paid 1034054 - Completed" (may vary) – the receipt supposedly concerns a wage.

It must be stressed that all the information provided by this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine companies or entities.

The attachment – "ACH Electronic Remittance Reciept.pdf" (filename may vary) – displays a blurred document overlaid by a pop-up instructing the user to scan the QR code to access the sensitive file. Following these instructions results in the recipient being redirected to a phishing site.

The promoted webpage is a bogus sign-in page that aims to trick visitors into disclosing their email account log-in credentials. The page includes the Microsoft logo in an attempt to create an impression of legitimacy. Information entered into phishing sites is recorded and sent to scammers.

Emails are of particular interest to cyber criminals due to several reasons – they tend to contain highly sensitive information, may serve as a gateway for hijacking linked accounts/platforms, or (particularly in the case of work emails) open an avenue for network infections.

To expand some on this, scammers can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Confidential/Compromising content discovered on emails, data storage platforms, or similar – could be used for a variety of nefarious purposes, such as blackmail. Stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to facilitate fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Bank Account Details" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials to scammers – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Bank Account Details" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Attached document is a payment receipt with updated banking information.
Attachment(s)	ACH Electronic Remittance Reciept.pdf (filename may vary)
Detection Names (attachment)	Fortinet (PDF/Phish.216F!tr), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Related Domains	iexeuniversidad[.]com
Detection Names (iexeuniversidad[.]com)	CRDF (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (iexeuniversidad[.]com)	51.161.117.153
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

"e-Mail Support Center", "Asia Pacific Lottery", "American Express - Username/Password Has Been Updated", "Commerzbank", and "Seeking Partnership Investment" are merely some of our latest articles on phishing emails.

Targeted data primarily includes log-in credentials (usernames/passwords), personally identifiable information, and finance-related details. However, spam mail is used to promote other scams and to distribute malware.

These letters can be poorly crafted and full of various mistakes, or they can be competently made and even convincingly disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., companies, institutions, organizations, service providers, authorities, etc.).

Due to how widespread spam mail is and how believable it can be – we strongly recommend caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to proliferate malware. These emails/messages can include infectious files as attachments or download links. Virulent files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on. Once such a file is opened – the infection chain is jumpstarted.

However, some formats require additional user interaction to begin downloading/installing malware. 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. Attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed only via spam mail. Therefore, we advise caution while browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears genuine and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

We must stress 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 "Bank Account Details" spam email letter:

Subject: Job# payment - paid 1034054 - Completed

Please see attached payment receipt. You recently changed your
bank account details with us, kindly review enclosed receipt.

Kind Regards

Screenshot of the file attached to this spam email ("ACH Electronic Remittance Reciept.pdf"):

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted via the QR code in the attachment:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Bank Account Details" 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 information that they may include, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in massive 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 provided your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their official support. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

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

No, merely reading an email is harmless. Systems are infected when virulent attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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 attachment (e.g., malware infiltration, phishing, etc.). Once opened, malicious executables cause infections almost without fail. Other formats, like documents (.doc, .xls, .one, etc.), may need additional actions to jumpstart malware downloads/installation (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate practically all known malware infections. It must be emphasized that running a complete system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.

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