How to avoid falling for fraudulent emails like "DHL - Notice For Failed Package Delivery"

What is "DHL - Notice For Failed Package Delivery"?

We have examined this email and discovered that it is a phishing email. This fraudulent email is disguised as a notification from DHL regarding a failed package delivery. Scammers behind this phishing campaign aim to trick recipients into opening a fraudulent website and disclosing personal information.

More about the "DHL - Notice For Failed Package Delivery" scam email

The subject line of this email implies that it is regarding an arrival notice/package delivery failure notice. The email states that a package has arrived at the DHL dispatch center but cannot be delivered due to a discrepancy in the mailing address. It urges recipients to correct the delivery address using the provided link within 48 hours to ensure prompt delivery.

Clicking the link in this email leads to a phishing website masquerading as the ZOHO sign-in page. This fraudulent site instructs visitors to enter their email address and password to access Mail. However, the entered information is sent to scammers who can misuse it for malicious purposes.

Scammers may use the stolen login credentials to access the victim's email to gather personal information (e.g., financial data or login details for other accounts). This information can be exploited for identity theft, fraudulently accessing sensitive accounts like banking or social media, or sending phishing emails to contacts in the victim's contacts.

Additionally, scammers might use the compromised email account to distribute malware, launch further phishing attacks, or sell the stolen information to third parties. Thus, it is strongly recommended to avoid disclosing personal details on shady web pages, especially when they are opened through unexpected/irrelevant emails from unknown addresses.

Threat Summary:

Name	DHL - Notice For Failed Package Delivery Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	A package cannot be delivered due to incorrect mailing address
Related Domain	domians[.]shop
Detection Names	alphaMountain.ai (Spam), Fortinet (Spam), Sophos (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Disguise	Package delivery failure notice from DHL
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.

Similar scam emails in general

In summary, phishing emails are designed to trick recipients into divulging sensitive information via email or deceptive web pages. Scammers typically target login credentials, credit card details, social security numbers, ID card information, or other personal data. These emails often masquerade as urgent communications from trusted companies or organizations.

It is crucial to note that fraudulent emails can also serve channel for spreading malware onto recipients' computers. Examples of phishing emails are "WalletConnect Temporary Closure", "Your Email Account Needs To Be Re-verified", and "Restore/Confirm Your Email Access".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Fraudulent emails designed to distribute malware include malicious attachments or links. Visiting infected websites can infect computers by automatically downloading malware or trick users into downloading malicious files or programs by themselves.

Files attached to emails intended to distribute malware can include executables, PDFs, archives, MS Office documents, JavaScript file, ISO file, and others. Some files do not infect computers upon opening. For example, malicious MS Office documents inject malware only when macros commands are enabled.

Archive files cannot deploy malware if their contents are not extracted and executed. However, opening malicious executables can lead to immediate malware infiltration.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download files and software from reliable sources, such as official sites and app stores. Avoid opening attachments or links in unexpected/irrelevant emails from suspicious addresses. Do not trust advertisements (e.g., enticing offers), download buttons, warnings, and similar content on questionable websites.

Never download pirated software, cracking tools, or key generators. Keep the operating system and all installed software up to date. Regularly scan your computer for threats using a reputable security suite. 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 "DHL - Notice For Failed Package Delivery" email letter:

Subject: ARRIVAL NOTICE/ Package Delivery Failure Notice

DHL Notice for failed  Package Delivery:

Hello *******,

Your Package with AWB 34967*** has arrived  DHL dispatch center but can't be delivered due to discrepancy in the mailing address.

You are urgently requested to update the correct delivery address below within 48hrs to ensure prompt delivery.

Non rispondere a questa mail
Footer Alt Text
Termini & Condizioni | Informativa sulla privacy | Condizioni Generali di Trasporto     2024 © DHL Group

Screenshot of the fraudulent page used in this phishing campaign:

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. 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.

Quick menu:

• What is DHL - Notice For Failed Package Delivery phishing campaign?
• 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?

This email was sent to you and probably hundreds of other people. Scam emails of this type are not personal.

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

If you have provided any account login credentials, change all passwords immediately. Especially if you use the same password for multiple accounts.

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

If the file was an executable, then it is highly possible. If it was a document (like a PDF or MS Office document), you might have avoided infection, as sometimes merely opening such documents is not enough for malware to infiltrate the system.

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

Emails cannot infect computers. However, their contents (attachments or links) can.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove almost all known malware infections. Since sophisticated malware often hides deeply within the system, performing a full system scan is required to ensure detection and removal.

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