Avoid getting scammed by fake "VOIP Call Messaging Service" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "VOIP Call Messaging Service"?
After examining the "VOIP Call Messaging Service" email, we learned that it is spam. This fake message notifies of a received voicemail. The spam mails aims to trick recipients into providing their email log-in credentials (passwords) to a phishing site.
"VOIP Call Messaging Service" email scam overview
The spam email is presented as a notification from a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider. It alerts the recipient of a voice memo that they have been sent. The message also states that there is no transcript available for the voicemail due to the service being new and – as of yet – imperfect.
It must be emphasized that the information in this email is false, and this mail is in no way associated with any genuine service providers or other entities.
When the "Hear Voice Memo" button is clicked, it redirects to a phishing website. This site mimics the design of the recipient's email sign-in page. Information (like log-in credentials) entered into phishing webpages is recorded and sent to cyber criminals. Hence, victims of "VOIP Call Messaging Service" can have their email accounts stolen.
Emails typically include sensitive information, which is especially true of work accounts. Scammers may use social engineering and hijacked work emails to infect the corporate network with trojans, ransomware, or other malware.
Furthermore, stolen emails may open an avenue for scammers to hijack the accounts/platforms/services registered through them.
The unauthorized access can be variously abused, such as for stealing account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) and asking the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promoting scams, proliferating malware by sharing malicious links/files.
Finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.
In summary, victims of scam mail like "VOIP Call Messaging Service" can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing site – immediately change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "VOIP Call Messaging Service" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient was sent a voice memo (voicemail). |
| Related Domains | firaac[.]org |
| Detection Names (firaac[.]org) | N/A (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (firaac[.]org) | 172.67.212.57 |
| 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 countless spam campaigns; "Your Caller Left A Audio Message", "Maintenance Protection", "Mailbox Has Been Successfully Upgraded", and "Urgent Server Warning" are just a few of our newest articles on phishing emails.
Various scams are facilitated through spam mail, and it is used to distribute malware. Recipients' interest and trust are gained through a variety of false claims, e.g., ones relating to emails/messages, expired passwords, suspicious activity detections, account issues, business offers, payments/invoices, refunds, subscriptions, inheritances, lotteries, etc.
While the commonly held belief that spam emails are poorly constructed and full of errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. These messages can be competently crafted and even convincingly disguised as mail from legitimate service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, and other entities.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing infectious files. They can be attached to or linked inside the deceptive emails/messages. Malicious files come in various formats, e.g., archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
The system infection chain is triggered once such a file is opened. Some formats need extra interaction to initiate malware download/installation. 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?
We highly recommend approaching incoming emails and other messages with caution. Attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious.
It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise vigilance when browsing since fake and dangerous online content typically appears legitimate and innocuous.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.
We must stress the importance of having a dependable 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 "VOIP Call Messaging Service" spam email letter:
Subject: Missed Call Voicemail Alert for Ext.46666074 - ********
VOIP Call Messaging Service
Call note from: 61494980310* - Kabellos
You have received 1 voice memo: 61090435806_********.wav (182KB)
News Summary: Transcript not available
Hear Voice Memo~Extboxide: 1861435806: (25368.208435806.********)
Time:
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
"Voicemail transcripts are an experiment. Maybe they are not perfect yet."
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "VOIP Call Messaging Service" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "VOIP Call Messaging Service" 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, regardless of any relevant information that they may include. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in large-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 your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. However, if the provided information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.
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 – hence, 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.) – your device was most likely infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .pdf, .xls, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to jumpstart system infection processes.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. It must be emphasized that running a complete system scan is key since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.
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