Do not trust fake "Payment Approved By International Authorities" emails

What kind of email is "Payment Approved By International Authorities"?

After reading the "Payment Approved By International Authorities" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter states that the recipient can claim their 36 million USD payment. Typically, scammers behind mail of this kind seek victims' personal information or money.

"Payment Approved By International Authorities" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Payment Approved" (may vary) states that international authorities have approved the recipient's thirty-six million USD payment. Therefore, they can now claim the funds. It must be emphasized that the information in this email is false, and it is not associated with any legitimate entities.

The letter encourages the recipient to contact the "chief executive officer" for more information. During communication with victims, scammers can request them to disclose highly sensitive data, such as personally identifiable details (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, etc.) or log-in credentials (e.g., emails, social media, e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, online banking, etc.).

Cyber criminals may also ask victims to send them money directly. They provide legitimate-sounding reasons like settling taxes or paying transaction fees. Difficult-to-trace methods are used for fund acquisition, such as cash hidden in packages and shipped, cryptocurrencies, pre-paid vouchers, gift cards, etc. Thus scammers diminish the chances of being successfully prosecuted and of victims retrieving their funds.

In summary, by trusting an email like "Payment Approved By International Authorities" – users may experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already disclosed personally identifiable or finance-related information – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Payment Approved By International Authorities" spam email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient can claim their $36 million payment.
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.

Spam campaign examples

We have written about numerous spam campaigns; "Accounting Has Shared Access", "OpenSea Offer Alert", "Restore IMAP/POP3", "Price And Delivery Time", "Is Visiting A More Convenient Way To Reach", and "Luciano Pavarotti Testament" are just some of our latest articles on deceptive emails.

Various scams are promoted through spam, and it is used to spread malware. Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we highly recommend being careful 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 infectious files attached to or linked inside them. These files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening a malicious file can be enough to jumpstart the malware download/installation chain. Some formats need additional actions to initiate 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 embedded links/files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is important to exercise caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious.

However, malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise vigilance when browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears genuine and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy channels. Additionally, software must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal product activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is paramount to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats/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 "Payment Approved By International Authorities" spam email letter:

Subject: Payment Approved

Good day to you,

Your payment of $36,000,000.00 approved by International Authorities in
our bank on your name still available for claim

Please, reply for details, so we can round up before the end of last
Quarter year of 2024.

Kindly reply please.

Yours in service,

.
Thank you for banking with us.

Yours in service,
Regards. Anas Abuzaakouk
Chief Executive Officer at Bawag P.S.K.
Vienna, Austria.
EMAIL: Bawag.PSKBank@europe.com 

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Quick menu:

• What is "Payment Approved By International Authorities" spam 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 they may include, spam emails are not personal. This mail is distributed in massive operations – 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. And if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant authorities.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked; reading an email poses no infection threat.

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. However, you might have avoided infecting your device if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional actions to initiate malware download/installation (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded links/files, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate almost all known malware infections. It must be mentioned that sophisticated malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems – therefore, performing a full system scan is paramount.

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