Avoid getting scammed by fake "Account Department" emails

What kind of email is "Account Department"?

Our inspection of the "Account Department" email revealed that it is spam. This phishing letter uses a "payment schedule document" lure to trick users into, most likely, disclosing their email log-in credentials.

"Account Department" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Payment Schedule July 2024.xlsx" (may vary) states that the "account department" shared access to a document with the recipient. This nonexistent file is supposedly a Microsoft Excel document containing a "payment schedule" for a month.

It must be emphasized that the information provided by this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate entities.

At the time of research, the promoted website was down (note that this could be rectified in potential re-releases of the campaign). Spam messages of this kind usually endorse phishing sites disguised as email account sign-in pages. Phishing webpages record entered information and send it to scammers.

Emails tend to include highly sensitive data; work mail accounts can likewise contain confidential information and might serve as a gateway to infecting the corporate network. Vulnerable data discovered on hijacked emails can be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes.

Additionally, via a compromised mail – access might be gained to linked accounts, platforms, services, etc. (i.e., those registered through the email).

Scammers may use this unauthorized access to steal the account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, digital wallets, e-commerce, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

In summary, by trusting an email like "Account Department" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already disclosed your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Account Department" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Account department has shared access to a document with the recipient.
Related Domains	secure.profille[.]click
Detection Names	Combo Cleaner (Malware), Cluster25 (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), G-Data (Malware), Trustwave (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	104.21.27.20
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

"Donation Of Crypto Funds", "Chase - Account Verification", "International Human Rights Organisation Compensation", and "OUTFRONT Email Quarantine" are merely some of our latest articles on phishing campaigns.

Various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is also used to distribute malware. These emails are often poorly put together and full of grammatical/spelling errors, but they can also be competently crafted and even perfectly mimic messages from legitimate entities (e.g., companies, corporations, organizations, service providers, authorities, etc.).

Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing virulent files as attachments or download links. These files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Malware download/installation is triggered once a malicious file is opened. Some formats need additional interaction to initiate system infection chains. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is essential to approach incoming emails and other messages with care. Attachments or links present in dubious mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

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

All downloads must be made from official and verified channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using legitimate functions/tools, 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 up-to-date. This software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove 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 "Account Department" spam email letter:

Subject: Payment Schedule July 2024.xlsx

Account Department has shared access to "Invoice payment Schedule July 2024.xlsx" With You -

Payment Schedule July 2024.xlsx
Last modified 07/24/24

Open in Excel Download Document

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ 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 "Account Department" 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 information relevant to the recipients. These messages are sent out 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 log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform the official support. And if you have disclosed other private data (e.g., passport scans/photos, ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the corresponding authorities without delay.

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

No, reading an email poses no infection threat. Devices are compromised when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

The format of the opened file might have influence over whether an infection occurred. Executables (.exe, .run, etc.) almost always begin downloading/installing malware upon being opened. Some other formats require extra interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded files/links, etc.) to trigger system infection processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and eliminate all sorts of threats. It is capable of detecting and removing most of the known malware infections. It must be emphasized that performing a complete system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.

▼ Show Discussion