How to recognize scams like "Order Details"

What kind of scam is "Order Details"?

Our analysis of the email has shown that it is a phishing email disguised as a letter regarding a purchase order. Typically, phishing emails are utilized for the purpose of extracting personal information from recipients. Recipients should ignore this and similar emails to avoid possible consequences.

More about the "Order Details" scam email

This phishing email, with the subject line "Purchase Order", is crafted to appear as a request for a quote. It asks the recipient to review a Google Docs file to provide pricing, payment options, and delivery estimates. The email emphasizes the need for a quick response to proceed further.

Additionally, the email claims to be from Mahmood Shahid Mirza, supposedly a representative of Apex Tex Ltd, and includes contact information and an address in Lahore, Pakistan. The purpose of this email is to steal personal information. Clicking the "Google Docs" hyperlink leads to a fake OneDrive website.

This deceptive site requests users to verify their identity. It claims that users have received a secure file named "Purchase Order.pdf" and instructs users to enter their email account login credentials to access that PDF file. However, the information entered is sent to scammers, and no file gets downloaded.

It is clear that scammers behind this scheme aim to extract email account login credentials. This information can be used to gain unauthorized access to personal or professional email accounts. Scammers can check the accessed accounts for sensitive details, send scam emails, and even deliver malware.

Also, scammers may try to access the accounts linked to the stolen email accounts or those using the same (or similar) credentials. Additionally, they may sell the obtained login credentials (and other harvested information) to third parties. Either way, it is strongly recommended to avoid interacting with such emails.

Threat Summary:

Name	Order Details Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	The recipient has received a Google Docs file
Disguise	Letter regarding a purchase order
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

Phishing emails are crafted to steal sensitive information by masquerading as legitimate communications. They often include logos, names, addresses, or other details to appear legitimate and trick recipients into revealing personal details, like credit card details, login credentials, ID card information, etc.

Some examples of similar emails are "Wells Fargo - Unusual Account Activity Email Scam", "Account Department Email Scam", and "Westside Auto Wholesale Email Scam". Being cautious and verifying the authenticity of such emails is important to avoid falling for such scams. It is important to mention that fraudsters can employ email to distribute malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors distribute malware via email by tricking users into clicking on links or opening infected attachments. These attachments can include executable files, MS Office documents, PDFs, compressed files, JavaScript files, and more. However, not all malicious files can infect computers as soon as they are opened.

For instance, malicious MS Office documents cannot cause damage unless users enable macros commands (enable editing/content within malicious documents). Links in fraudulent emails can direct users to websites that automatically download malware or deceive them into downloading malware themselves.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Always download software and files from official websites or trusted app stores. Avoid third-party downloaders, P2P networks, torrent sites, and other untrustworthy sources. Be cautious of pop-ups, ads, and warnings on suspicious sites, and avoid clicking on links or opening attachments from unfamiliar email addresses.

Additionally, use a reputable security tool to regularly scan your computer for threats and ensure that your operating system and all software are kept up to date. 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 "Order Details" email letter:

Subject: Purchase Order

Hello Sir/Madam
Kindly see the Google Docs   file and give us the quote with your best price, payment mode, and estimated delivery time.

Your quick response would be appreciated to enable us to proceed further.
 
Best Regards.
Mahmood Shahid Mirza
Apex Tex Ltd
0321-1237927
0328-5152168
285-Q Commercial Block. Phase II DHA, Lahore. Pakistan.

Phishing page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Order Details phishing scam?
• 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 the same email to all addresses they have. Typically, these emails are generic and lack personal details. Scammers aim to trick at least someone.

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

If you have entered your email account login credentials on a phishing page, act quickly by changing your password (and other passwords that may be compromised). If you cannot access your account, contact the service provider as soon as possible.

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

If you execute an executable file, your system is likely infected. However, if the file is a document (like a .pdf or .doc), your computer is probably not infected, as simply opening these types of documents does not always trigger malware.

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

Opening an email is safe and does not pose a risk to your system. However, your system can become infected if you click links or open attachments in deceptive emails.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing almost all known malware infections. However, because advanced malware can conceal itself deeply within the system, performing a full system scan is necessary to ensure thorough removal.

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