Avoid getting scammed by fake "BMW Promotional Program" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "BMW Promotional Program"?
After reading the "BMW Promotional Program" email, we determined that it is spam. It promotes a phishing scam targeting recipients' personally identifiable information by claiming that they have won a new car and an exorbitant sum of money. It is pertinent to mention that victims of this scam mail might also be tricked into sending money to scammers.
"BMW Promotional Program" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "Your Winning Confirmation!" (may vary) proclaims that the recipient has been selected through a "random Computerized Email Selection System" as a winner in a promotional program held by BMW. The recipient has won a new car from the BMW 7 series and a check for 1,5 million USD.
It must be stressed that the claims made by the email are false, and this mail is not associated with the actual Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW).
The scam letter instructs the recipient to send their information – full name, home address, and phone number – to claim their prize. Personally identifiable data can be variously abused, including to steal the victim's identity.
It is likely that during the communication with victims, the scammers will make other requests. For example, recipients may be asked to provide additional information, sign into their accounts through phishing sites, or to send money.
When cyber criminals attempt to get victims to send them funds, they present these requests as necessary actions like settling taxes or paying fees (e.g., money transfers, storage, shipping, etc.).
To summarize, victims of scam emails like "BMW Promotional Program" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have disclosed your personally identifiable information or finance-related data to scammers – contact relevant authorities without delay.
| Name | "BMW Promotional Program" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Email recipient has been randomly selected as a winner of a new car and 1,5 million USD. |
| Disguise | Promotional program held by BMW. |
| 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
We have written about thousands of spam campaigns; "Nedbank email scam", "SharePoint - ACH-Wire Authorization", and "Microsoft Office 365 - Password Notification" are merely a couple of our newest articles on phishing emails.
Various scams are facilitated through this mail, and it is used to proliferate malware. While the widely held belief that spam emails are riddled with errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. These letters can be competently written and convincingly disguised as messages from genuine entities (e.g., companies, organizations, authorities, etc.).
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals use spam campaigns to distribute malware. These emails/messages include virulent files as attachments or download links. Malicious files can be documents (e.g., PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (e.g., .exe, .run, etc.), archives (e.g., RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Opening such a file triggers malware download/installation. However, some file formats need additional interaction to jumpstart 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?
We recommend exercising care with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious.
However, malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise vigilance when browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. All programs must be activated and updated using genuine functions/tools, as those acquired from third-parties can contain malware.
It is paramount to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security software 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 "BMW Promotional Program" spam email letter:
Subject: Your Winning Confirmation!
You have just been automatically selected by our random Computerized Email Selection System as a beneficiary of our ongoing promotional program winning you the prize of a brand new BMW 7 Series Car and a Check of 1,500,000.00 USD
*****************************
This is an automated email - Please do not reply.
To contact for claims, Send us a message via Internal Mail claims@bmwusaconsults.com with your Full name, Residential address & Phone number
*****************************
(C) 2024 BMW of North America, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Quick menu:
- What is "BMW Promotional Program" 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 relevant information. 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 provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Reading an email is harmless; 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?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was infected. However, you might have avoided triggering malware download/installation if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.). These formats may require additional actions aside from being opened, such as enabling their macro commands, clicking embedded content, and so on.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems – therefore, performing a complete system scan is paramount.
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