Avoid having your myGov account stolen via fake "Samsung Prize Money" emails

What kind of email is "Samsung Prize Money"?

After examining the "Samsung Prize Money" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter claims that the recipient has won a monetary prize in a Samsung promotion. This phishing campaign seeks to trick recipients into disclosing their myGov account information.

"Samsung Prize Money" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Samsung Splash PRomo!!!" (may vary) congratulates the recipient for winning $800,000 from a Samsung promotion. Supposedly, the funds were already sent to the Commonwealth Bank. The recipient is instructed to provide their myGov details to claim the funds.

It must be emphasized that the information provided in this email is false, and this mail is not linked to the Samsung Group, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), myGov, or any other legitimate services and entities.

myGov is a digital identity validation service provided by the Australian government. myGov accounts hold incredibly sensitive information like personally identifiable details and data associated with governmental and semi-governmental service spheres (e.g., health care, disability, social welfare, taxes, housing, work search, etc.).

By hijacking myGov accounts, cyber criminals could steal victims' identities and carry out a variety of nefarious activities, including financial fraud.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Samsung Prize Money" – users can experience severe privacy issues, significant financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have disclosed your personally identifiable or finance-related information (or believe it has been otherwise compromised) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Samsung Prize Money" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient has won $800,000 in a promo.
Disguise	Samsung Group
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

We have examined thousands of spam campaigns; "Foreign Beneficiary", "BMW Promotional Program", "Nedbank email scam", "SharePoint - ACH-Wire Authorization", and "Microsoft Office 365 - Password Notification" are merely some of our newest articles on phishing emails.

This mail primarily targets log-in credentials of various accounts, personally identifiable information, and finance-related data. Various scams are endorsed via spam, and it is used to spread malware.

While the commonly held belief that spam emails are poorly put together and full of mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. These letters can be competently made and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, authorities, companies, organizations, institutions, etc.).

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

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

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

Merely opening an infectious file can be enough to initiate the malware download/installation chain. However, some formats need extra actions to jumpstart system 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?

Approach incoming emails and other messages with caution. Do not open attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or virulent.

It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, be vigilant when browsing, as the Internet is rife with fake and malicious content.

Furthermore, download only from official and trustworthy sources. Activate and update programs using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is paramount for device integrity and user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security 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 "Samsung Prize Money" spam email letter:

Subject: Samsung Splash PRomo!!!

Hello,

Congratulations. I am the manager of Samsung.. you won $800,000. Your prize money has been sent to commonwealth Bank ..Your mygov details is needed to credit your gift instantly, by commonwealth bank group.

You can click the link below to contact us via our verified telegram account: -

Linda Simpson

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 "Samsung Prize Money" 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?

Regardless of any relevant information that spam emails may include, they are not personal. This mail is sent out in mass-scale campaigns – 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 disclosed personally identifiable or finance-related information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities. And if you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised 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, reading an email will not initiate any malware download/installation processes. 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?

Whether your device was infected may depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system is compromised. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.). These formats may need additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded files/links, etc.) to begin downloading/installing malware.

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 running a complete system scan is crucial since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems.

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