Avoid getting scammed by fake Kamer van Koophandel (KVK) emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)"?
After inspecting this "Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)" email, we determined that it is fake. This spam letter claims that the recipient's information with the Kamer van Koophandel (KVK) – the Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands – is outdated. This phishing campaign aims to trick victims into disclosing sensitive information. It must be emphasized that this email is not associated with the actual Kamer van Koophandel.
"Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)" email scam overview
According to a rough translation from Dutch, the spam email with the subject "Uw gegevens zijn verouderd" (may vary) is presented as a message from the Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands (KVK). It states that the recipient's contact information is out of date.
Multiple attempts to get the recipient to update their details have yielded no result. The letter stresses that it is crucial for KVK to have current information so that it remains valid with the administration. The recipient is given a deadline to update their details, else the KVK number will be deactivated – and this could cause issues with their business operations and administrative obligations.
It must be reiterated that all the claims made by the email are false, and this mail is not associated with Kamer van Koophandel (KVK).
The letter instructs the recipient to press the link in the email to renew their information. The link redirects to a phishing site that requests the visitor to enter private data, such as their company name, full name, birthdate, address, postcode, phone numbers, email address, private and business accounts, etc.
Phishing webpages record provided information and send it to scammers. Cyber criminals can abuse victims' data for a variety of malicious activities. Exposed personally identifiable details can enable scammers to steal victims' identities. Business-related data may be used for various fraudulent financial activities.
To summarize, by trusting an email like "Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)" – users may experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have disclosed your private information to criminals – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.
| Name | "Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's information with the KVK is outdated and must be renewed. |
| Disguise | Kamer van Koophandel (KVK) |
| Related Domains | hscajans[.]com |
| Detection Names (hscajans[.]com) | alphaMountain.ai (Phishing), Cluster25 (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), Emsisoft (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (hscajans[.]com) | 78.142.210.31 |
| 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. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
"Invoice For Our Recent Order", "HP Scanner", "Email Password Must Renew Soon", "Official Notification: Performance Evaluation Access", "SWIFT - Outward Wire Transfer Confirmation", and "Irrevocable Payment Order" are just some of our newest articles on phishing campaigns.
These emails primarily seek log-in credentials (usernames/passwords), personally identifiable details, and finance-related information. However, other scams are promoted through this mail, and it is used to proliferate malware.
Due to how widespread spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns are commonly utilized in malware distribution. These emails/messages include malicious files as attachments or download links. Virulent files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once an infectious file is opened – the malware download/installation is triggered. However, some formats need extra actions to initiate infection 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 links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is important to approach incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages with care. Attachments or links present in suspect mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent.
However, malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam emails/messages. Therefore, we recommend caution when browsing, as the Internet is full of well-disguised fake and malicious content.
Furthermore, all downloads must be made from official and verified sources. Software must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.
It is paramount for device safety and user privacy to have a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to run 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 "Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)" spam email letter:
Subject: Herinnering: Uw gegevens zijn verouderd
KVK
Verouderde contactgegevens
We hebben gemerkt dat uw contactinformatie bij de Kamer van Koophandel al een tijd niet is bijgewerkt. Ondanks herhaalde verzoeken via brieven, hebben we tot nu toe geen update van uw kant ontvangen. Het is cruciaal dat deze informatie actueel blijft om te voorkomen dat uw gegevens niet meer geldig zijn in onze administratie.
Als uw gegevens niet worden aangepast vóór 10 augustus, zullen we helaas genoodzaakt zijn om tijdelijk uw KvK-nummer te deactiveren. Dit kan leiden tot problemen met uw bedrijfsactiviteiten en administratieve verplichtingen, wat u onnodige complicaties kan bezorgen.
U kunt de wijzigingen doorvoeren door hier te klikken.
Heeft u vragen of heeft u hulp nodig bij het proces, aarzel dan niet om contact op te nemen met onze klantenservice. We staan klaar om u te helpen.
Met vriendelijke groet,
Kamer van Koophandel
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)" 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 recipients. The inclusion of any such data is typically facilitated via publicly available sources or phishing scams. Scammers distribute this mail by the thousand with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have disclosed personally identifiable or finance-related information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, debit/credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant authorities. However, if you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, merely reading an email is harmless. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the device was compromised. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.) – may need extra interaction to jumpstart malware download/installation, such as enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, and so on.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan systems and remove all kinds of threats. It can detect and eliminate almost all known malware infections. Note that sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems – therefore, performing a complete system scan is essential.
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