How to identify fake emails like "Bitdefender Subscription Renewal" scam email

What is "Bitdefender Subscription Renewal" scam?

We have examined the email and discovered that it is a fraudulent letter containing a fake invoice from Bitdefender. The scammers behind this scam campaign also use fake invoices from PayPal. Their goal is to trick recipients into sending them money and (or) providing personal information. Such emails are known as phishing emails.

More about the "Bitdefender Subscription Renewal" scam email

The fake email, disguised as an invoice from Bitdefender, thanks the recipient for renewing their Bitdefender subscription and mentions that the transaction will be processed within 48 hours. It claims that the purchased product is Bitdefender for two users for one year, and the charge is $498 (product price and activation charges).

Also, the email includes a refund policy stating that refunds must be requested within 24 hours of purchase, and provides a contact number (+1 (8080) 445 - 9888) for more information.

The second email in this scam campaign claims to be a renewal invoice from PayPal for Bitdefender services, stating that the recipient's account has been charged $460.82. It mentions the purchased products (Bitdefender Total Security for one device and one year and Bitdefender Account Premium Support).

Both of these emails are designed to appear legitimate but are scams intended to trick recipients into believing they have made a purchase and extract personal information or money. Scammers may attempt to extract personal information such as names, addresses, credit card details, or login credentials.

They may also seek to trick recipients into paying "administration" or other fees, or even downloading malicious software. Either way, whoever receives such emails should ignore them to avoid financial loss, identity theft, or other issues.

Threat Summary:

Name	Bitdefender Subscription Renewal Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	The recipient has purchased Bitdefender products
Cyber Criminal Phone Number	+1 (808) 445 - 9888, (833) 870-2523
Disguise	Invoice from Bitdefender/PayPal
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.
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Similar scam emails in general

As a rule, emails of this kind are disguised as important notifications or urgent requests from legitimate companies or other entities. Scammers behind these emails seek to trick recipients into providing them sensitive information or transferring money. Sometimes, they may use such emails to deliver malware.

A couple of examples of other fraudulent emails are "Your Email Account Needs To Be Re-verified", "Independent Committee Of Eminent Persons (ICEP)", and "Authorization To Claim Funds".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

When emails are crafted to trick users into infecting computers, they contain malicious files (attachments) or links. In both cases, the goal is the same. Opening malicious links can lead to web pages that trick users into downloading malware or sites designed to download it automatically.

Malicious files attached to fraudulent emails can infect computers upon opening or additional steps. For instance, malicious executables can inject malware right after opening them, while MS Office documents usually cannot infect computers unless users enable macros commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Use reputable antivirus and anti-malware software, and regularly update it. Be cautious when downloading and installing software, especially from unknown or unofficial sources. Use official websites or app stores for software downloads. Avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments in emails, even if they appear to come from trusted sources.

Keep your operating system, browsers, and other software up to date. Do not trust pop-ups, ads, download buttons, links, and similar elements on shady web pages. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Bitdefender Subscription Renewal" email letter:

INVOICE By BITDEFENDER

Bitdefender

Date Subscription User Invoice Number
July 8th, 2024 - HLA81992

Thank you for choosing Bitdefender as your security partner.
We appreciate your continued trust in Bitdefender. We have renewed your subscription on the 8th of July 2024, to ensure that your security is never compromised.
Kindly be informed that the transaction might take 48 hours to reflect on your preferred account.

BENEFITS:

Comprehensive protection against viruses and malware
Identity theft protection
Performance optimization tools
24/7 customer support

DETAILS

PRODUCT TENURE AMOUNT
Bitdefender 2 Users/1 Year 449.00 USD
Activation Charges 49.00 USD
TOTAL 498.00 USD

Refund Policy:

We understand that circumstances can change and you may need to cancel your service. We want to make this process as simple as possible for you.
Please note that a refund must be requested within 24 hours from the time of purchase. Any request after this time period will not be eligible for the same.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at:

+1 (808) 445 - 9888

Screenshot of the second variant of the scam email:

Text in this email:

PayPal
INVOICE
THIS IS A RENEWAL INVOICE. DO NOOT RE-PAY.

Bitdefender Consulting
416 Waverly Avenue
Baltimore
MD 21225
United States

Date: 05 Apr 2024
Order No.: 936830
Payment Status: Charged
Amt Paid: $460.82
Helpdesk:
(833) 870-2523

Item Quantity Price Amount
Bitdefender Total Security 1 $378.47 $378.47
1 Year 1 Device
Bitdefender Account Premium Support 1 $38.79 $38.79
Premium Support

Subtotal: $417.26
Discounts: $20.00
Tax (16%): $63.56
Total: $460.82

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Quick menu:

• What is Bitdefender Subscription Renewal fake invoice?
• 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?

Scammers send identical emails to thousands of recipients, hoping someone will fall for their scam. These messages are not personal (they do not include the names or surnames of recipients).

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

If you have sent login credentials to scammers, change all passwords (at least the ones that may be compromised). In other cases (if you have provided credit card details, ID card information, or other details), contact the relevant authorities.

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

If the attached file is executable, then it is highly likely that your computer has already been compromised. However, if you opened an archive file, MS Office document, or other file, you may have avoided malware infiltration.

I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?

It is impossible to reverse cryptocurrecy transactions without the involvement of recipients. Thus, if you have transferred cryptocurrency to scammers, you will not be able to retrieve it.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, simply opening an email is harmless. System infections can occur after opening attached malicious files or links.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. However, advanced malware often hides deep within the system, so it is essential to run a full system scan.

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