How to identify phishing attempts like "Vlaanderen Verbeelding Werkt"

What is "Vlaanderen Verbeelding Werkt"?

We have analyzed the email and concluded that it is a phishing attempt. This email is written by scammers who pretend to be a company that delivers packages (a courier). The goal is to trick recipients into disclosing personal information and (or) sending money to scammers. Such emails should be ignored to avoid potential risks.

More about the "Vlaanderen Verbeelding Werkt" scam email

This scam email (written in Dutch) is disguised as an important notice regarding a package being sent. It informs recipients that they are eligible for a tax refund and instructs them to click on a button labeled "Receive My Refund" to claim the supposed refund by following certain steps.

Additionally, the email urges recipients to complete the process quickly so the refund can be processed. Such scams usually use credit card details, login credentials, social security numbers, ID card information, or other details that can be misused for malicious purposes (e.g., to steal identities or hijack personal accounts).

Also, emails of this type are often used to trick recipients into believing that they need to pay some "administration", "shipping", or other fees to proceed (e.g., to claim a refund). Either way, recipients should be careful with emails of this type and not respond to them (or open the provided links).

It is important to mention that the link in this email ("Ontvang Mijn Terugbetaling"/"Receive My Refund") is supposed to lead users to a phishing website where they would be requested to enter login credentials or other personal details. However, the page was down during our inspection and could not be accessed.

Threat Summary:

Name	Vlaanderen Verbeelding Werkt Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipients can get a refund
Disguise	Notification from a courier
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.

Similar scam emails in general

These emails often impersonate legitimate organizations, companies, or other entities and create a sense of urgency or importance. They can include fraudulent links or attachments. The goal is to deceive the recipient into revealing sensitive information like passwords or financial details. However, it can also be to deliver malware.

Some examples of scam emails are "Mailbox Abuse Notice", "Smartcolor Password Expiry", and "Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors use email to spread malware by attaching infected files (e.g., malicious MS Office documents, PDFs, ISO files, executables, scripts, or compressed archives). They aim to trick recipients into triggering the malware by enabling macros in compromised documents or running harmful programs disguised as legitimate files.

Emails used to spread malware can also include links to malicious websites, where users can be deceived into downloading and running harmful software. In other cases, links in such emails can direct users to sites that initiate automatic downloads of malware.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with email attachments and links in suspicious emails, especially from unknown or unexpected sources. Only download software and files from trusted platforms like official websites or reputable app stores. Do not download pirated software (or cracking tools, key generators) or trust pop-ups, ads, and links on dubious websites.

Additionally, regularly update all software and the operating system, and scan your computer using a reliable security tool. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Vlaanderen Verbeelding Werkt" email letter (written in Dutch):

Subject: Wichtige Benachrichtigung -lhr Paket wartet auf Abholung!

Kunt u deze e-mail niet goed lezen, bekijk dan de webversie

Belastingteruggave

Geachte heer/mevrouw,

Bij controle van uw aangifte hebben wij vastgesteld dat u in aanmerking komt voor een terugbetaling. Wij willen u graag helpen om deze terugbetaling zo snel mogelijk te ontvangen.

Om uw belastingteruggave te ontvangen, verzoeken wij u vriendelijk om op de onderstaande knop te drukken en de stappen te volgen.

Ontvang Mijn Terugbetaling

Zorg ervoor dat u deze stappen zo snel mogelijk voltooit, zodat wij uw terugbetaling kunnen verwerken.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Vlaamse Belastingdienst

Let op: Deze e-mail is alleen bedoeld voor de geadresseerde. Als u deze e-mail per ongeluk heeft ontvangen, verzoeken wij u vriendelijk om deze te verwijderen en ons te informeren.

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 Vlaanderen Verbeelding Werkt 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?

Scammers send identical emails to thousands of people at once. These emails are not personalized (they are generic and impersonal). The goal is to reach as many potential victims as possible.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

If you have shared any account credentials, you should change all your passwords right away. If you have given out sensitive personal information like credit card details or ID numbers, contact the relevant authorities or institutions immediately to prevent potential fraud.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

If the file was an executable, it is highly probable that your system is infected. On the other hand, if it was a document file such as a PDF or Word document, you may have avoided infection, as merely opening these files does not always trigger malware.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, opening emails is safe. However, clicking on links or opening attachments within fraudulent emails can result in system infections.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can find and remove nearly all known malware. However, sophisticated malware often hides deeply within operating systems. For this reason, it is highly advisable to run a full system scan to ensure detection and removal.

▼ Show Discussion