Avoid having your email account stolen via fake "HP Scanner" emails

What kind of email is "HP Scanner"?

Upon inspecting this "HP Scanner" email, we determined that it is spam. This message claims the recipient was sent a scanned document concerning benefits/payroll. The goal of this phishing mail is to steal recipients' email accounts by tricking them into providing their log-in credentials to a fake website.

"HP Scanner" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "HP LaserJet Pro: Accounting Document Sent to Your Email" (may vary) informs that the recipient was sent a document scanned with an HP LaserJet Pro Scanner. The scanned file – "[recipient_identifier]_2024-Benefits/Payroll Increasement forms" – is supposedly attached to the email. The letter also provides an access code for the document.

As mentioned in the introduction, the information in the "HP Scanner" letter is false. It must be stressed that this mail is not associated with any legitimate entities, including the recipient's workplace or the companies behind named products/services – such as HP Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and Google LLC.

The attached PDF file instructs to click the "Access Document" button, which redirects to a phishing website. This fake Google page tells visitors to sign in using their organization email credentials. Thus making it evident that the scammers behind this spam campaign target corporate emails.

These accounts can include incredibly sensitive information, such as confidential corporate data, accounting, employee and client/customer details, etc. Additionally, gaining access to such an email may open an avenue for infecting the corporate network (e.g., trojans, ransomware, etc.).

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "HP Scanner" can experience system infections, data loss, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing site/file – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. In case the compromised account was work-related – alert the IT department or other relevant individuals/entities.

If you have disclosed personally identifiable or finance-related data to scammers – it may be necessary to contact the appropriate authorities.

Threat Summary:

Name	"HP Scanner" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient was sent a scanned document concerning benefits/payroll increase.
Related Domains	firaac[.]org
Detection Names (firaac[.]org)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (firaac[.]org)	104.21.53.111
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

"Email Password Must Renew Soon", "Email Account Requires Verification", and "Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server" are just some of our newest articles on phishing emails.

Aside from log-in credentials, these messages commonly target personally identifiable details and finance-related information. However, spam mail is used to promote various scams and to proliferate malware.

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

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cyber criminals often use spam campaigns to spread malware. These emails/messages can have malicious files attached to or linked inside them. Infectious files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once such a file is opened – the malware download/installation chain is initiated. Some formats need additional actions to jumpstart said processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Incoming emails and other messages have to be treated with vigilance. Attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent.

However, malware is distributed using various techniques. Therefore, we advise being careful while browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and malicious content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. All programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected 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 "HP Scanner" spam email letter:

Subject: HP LaserJet Pro: Accounting Document Sent to Your Email

You've received a document from HP LaserJet Pro Scanner

It was scanned and sent to ******** using an HP WorkCentre on Office365 Portal.

Number of Images: 1

File Name: ********_2024-Benefits/Payroll Increasement forms

Device Name: HP LaserJet Pro

PDF Access Code: 75302

For more information on HP products and solutions, please visit HP's website.

Screenshot of the file attached to this spam email:

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted through the attachment:

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 "HP Scanner" 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 details relevant to the recipients. Typically, this information is acquired through publicly available sources or phishing scams. This mail is sent out in large-scale campaigns – hence, 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 disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. And if you've provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, passport scans, 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?

There is no infection threat with opening/reading an email. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

This depends on the purpose of the opened file (i.e., phishing or malware download/installation). File formats may influence the success rate of infections. Some – like executables (.exe, .run, etc.) – need only to be opened to trigger infection processes, while others – like documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) – can require additional actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating practically all known malware infections. It must be stressed that high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems – hence, performing a full system scan is crucial for detection.

▼ Show Discussion