How to recognize scams like "You Share The Same Name"

What is "You Share The Same Name"?

We have reviewed this email and determined it to be a scam disguised as a notice regarding funds that can be released to the recipient. Typically, the goal of scammers behind such schemes is to obtain personal information or extract money from unsuspecting recipients. Emails of this type should be ignored to prevent any potential harm.

More about the "You Share The Same Name" scam email

The scam email claims that the recipient shares the same name as a deceased Singaporean gold merchant, who allegedly left behind $30 million without any next of kin. The sender (supposedly a person named Harry Oscar) states that he can make the recipient the next of kin to facilitate the release of the funds.

The email encourages the recipient to respond for more details if they are interested in this offer. However, responding to this email will likely result in receiving a request to provide personal information (like ID card information and credit card details) and (or) pay some "administration", "transfer", or other fees.

Either way, individuals who fall for such scams never receive money. On the contrary, they find themselves at risk of identity theft, monetary loss, and further scams. Therefore, it is highly advisable to carefully examine emails (especially when they include some offers) before providing information, opening links, or attachments.

Threat Summary:

Name	You Share The Same Name Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient shares the same name with Singaporse gold merchant
Disguise	Letter from Harry Oscar
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

Scammers are constantly developing new methods to trick recipients through deceptive emails. In order to protect themselves from potential fraud, it is important to be cautious, confirm the authenticity of communications, and avoid disclosing personal information. Examples of similar scams are "A Businessman Made A Fixed Deposit Of Huge Fund", "This Concerns Your Student Loan", and "Rothschild Foundation".

It is important to mention that fraudulent emails can also be used to trick recipients into running malware on their computers.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is often spread through emails that have malicious files attached to them. Malware can infiltrate their systems when users open these files or take further actions, such as enabling macros in infected MS Office documents. More examples of files used to deliver malware via email are PDFs, archives, executables, ISO files, and JavaScript files.

These emails may also include deceptive links that redirect users to malicious websites. These sites are often designed to trick individuals into downloading malware or may trigger automatic downloads without their interaction.

How to avoid installation of malware?

When downloading files or software, stick to official websites or app stores and steer clear of unofficial sources, such as third-party downloaders and peer-to-peer networks. Always carefully review emails before clicking on any links or opening attachments, particularly if they are unsolicited or from unfamiliar senders.

Never download pirated software, and avoid interacting with ads, buttons, and links on questionable websites. Ensure your software and operating system always have the latest updates and use a trusted security program to safeguard your devices. 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 "You Share The Same Name" email letter:

Subject: Mr harry oscar

Sir/Madam********,

You share the same name with our late Singapore gold marchant worth 30 million USD, he died without any next of kin. I contacted you since you share the same first name, so i can present you as the next of kin. for the money to be released to you as the next of kin. If you are interested in this, revert back to me for more details.

Mr harry oscar

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▼ 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 You Share The Same Name inheritance scam?
• 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 often send generic, non-personalized mass emails to thousands of people without addressing them by name or including specific details. If you receive such an email, it is possible that your email address was collected through a data breach or in some other way.

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

If you have shared your ID card information, credit card details, or similar personal data, promptly contact the appropriate authorities to protect yourself from identity theft or other potential risks.

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

Malicious executable files can infect your computer as soon as they are opened, while harmful MS Office documents generally stay dormant until you enable macros. The consequences of opening a malicious file depends on the type of file.

I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?

Unfortunately, once cryptocurrency is transferred to scammers, it is usually irreversible and challenging to recover.

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

Simply opening an email is not risky, but clicking on malicious links or opening harmful attachments can result in computer infections.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing most known malware infections. However, advanced malware often embeds itself deep within the system, making a full system scan necessary for thorough detection and removal.

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