How to identify scams like "Outstanding Statement Of Account" fraudulent email
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "Outstanding Statement Of Account"?
Our team has analyzed this email and concluded that it is a phishing attempt. This letter is disguised as a notification regarding an outstanding statement of account. The scammers behind it letter aim to trick recipients into visiting a phishing page and providing personal information. Recipients should ignore such emails to avoid potential consequences.
More about the "Outstanding Statement Of Account" scam email
The phishing email impersonates a legitimate communication from IMEC CREDIT MANAGEMENT SDN BHD. It claims to provide a customer's outstanding statement of account. Additionally, the email includes contact details such as phone numbers and an address to give it authenticity. However, the purpose of this email is to trick recipients into clicking on a fraudulent link (the "Preview" button).
Clicking the provided link directs to a fake ZOHO sign-in page designed to trick visitors into believing they have to enter their email account login credentials to access mail. However, the true intention is to steal those credentials. Once entered, the login credentials are sent to fraudsters.
Scammers can utilize stolen login credentials to access the victim's email and gather personal information (including login details for other accounts). This data can then be used for identity theft, accessing sensitive accounts like banking or social media, or sending phishing emails to others in the victim's contact list.
Furthermore, scammers could employ the hacked email account to send malware and initiate phishing attempts. Additionally, they could sell the stolen data to third parties (other cybercriminals). Thus, it is crucial to refrain from disclosing personal information on suspicious websites or responding to suspicious emails.
| Name | Outstanding Statement Of Account Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient has received a notification regarding an outstanding statement of account |
| Related Domain | domians[.]shop |
| Detection Names | alphaMountain.ai (Spam), Fortinet (Spam), Sophos (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Disguise | Legitimate email from IMEC CREDIT MANAGEMENT SDN BHD |
| 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
Most phishing emails are utilized to steal sensitive information (e.g., login credentials, social security numbers, ID card information, credit card details). Scammers often pretend to be legitimate companies, organizations, or other entities to trick recipients. It is also common for emails of this type to contain links to phishing pages.
It is important to know that fraudulent emails can be utilized to deliver malicious software. A couple of examples of phishing emails are "WalletConnect Temporary Closure", "Your Email Account Needs To Be Re-verified", and "A Team Member Shared An Item".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
As a rule, emails intended to spread malware contain harmful attachments or links. These emails may trick users into downloading malicious files or programs from infected websites or opening sites designed to automatically download malware. In other cases, cybercriminals attach malicious files to their emails.
Such emails include executables, PDFs, archives, MS Office documents, JavaScript files, ISO files, etc. Some files, like certain MS Office documents, inject malware only when macros are enabled. However, opening malicious executables can immediately infect a computer with malware. Whether a computer gets infected immediately after opening a malicious file depends on its type.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Refrain from opening attachments or clicking links in unexpected or suspicious emails from unfamiliar senders. Obtain files and software exclusively from trustworthy sources, such as official websites and app stores. Be careful when encountering advertisements, download prompts, and alerts on dubious websites. Do not interact with them.
Avoid downloading pirated software, cracking tools, or key generators, as they frequently harbor malware. Ensure your operating system and all installed software are regularly updated, and perform regular scans on your computer 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 "Outstanding Statement Of Account" email letter:
Subject: Re:SOA JULY 2024
Dear ******** ,
Kindly find enclosed customer outsanding statement of account :Preview
Jennifar P. Tengku
Senior Acc Credit SpecialistAccounts Department
IMEC CREDIT MANAGEMENT SDN BHD
Tel: 03-87349255 Fax: 03-87349055
Address: 33 & 35, Jalan BA 2/1, Kawasan Perindustrian Bukit Angkat, Sg Chua, 43000 Kajang, Selangor.
www.imec.com.my | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | View Map | [waze.to/hw2835f231]Waze
Screenshot of the fake website used in this phishing campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is Outstanding Statement Of Account 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?
This email was sent to you and likely numerous others. It is important to note that these types of scam emails are generic and not specifically targeted.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have shared any account login details, it is crucial to change all passwords immediately, especially if you use the same password across multiple accounts.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
If the file was an executable, infection is likely. However, if it was a document (such as a PDF or MS Office file), you may have avoided infection, as simply opening such documents does not always lead to malware infiltrating the system.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Emails themselves cannot infect computers. However, the attachments or links contained within them can carry malware that may infect the computer when opened or clicked.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner has the capability to detect and eliminate nearly all known malware infections. Given that advanced malware often conceals itself deep within the system, running a full system scan is essential to ensure removal.
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