Avoid getting scammed by fake "Internet Bank System" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Internet Bank System"?
Our inspection of the "Internet Bank System" email revealed that it is spam. It notifies about a received payment. The goal of this spam mail is to lure recipients into visiting a phishing website that targets email account log-in credentials (passwords).
"Internet Bank System" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "Domestic payment : 201OPXO240970122" (may vary) informs of a received payment from an unspecified "Internet Bank system". It must be emphasized that this claim is false, and this email is not associated with any legitimate entities.
The attachment imitation in the email redirects to a phishing website. It is disguised as an email sign-in page embellished with Roundcube graphics. Log-in credentials entered into this fake site are recorded and sent to scammers, thus enabling them to steal the exposed email accounts. Emails can be abused in various ways, including for blackmail purposes.
Additionally, cyber criminals may be able to hijack the accounts, platforms, and services registered through the compromised email. To expand upon how the unauthorized access can be used, scammers can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) and ask contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links/files.
Furthermore, finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Internet Bank System" can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already entered your account credentials into a phishing site – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "Internet Bank System" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Email notifies of a payment received via an "Internet Bank" system. |
| 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 numerous spam campaigns; "Degussa Bank email scam", "EFT Payment Overview", and "Error Updating The Mail Server" are merely a couple of our newest articles on phishing emails. Spam mail is used to promote a wide variety of scams and to proliferate malware.
Various lures are utilized to gain recipients' interest and trust, e.g., claims concerning payments/invoices, business offers, financial schemes, inheritances, lotteries, philanthropic efforts, subscription renewals, account issues, expired passwords, and so forth.
Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to distribute malware. These emails/messages can include infectious files as attachments or download links. They 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 infection chain is initiated once a virulent file is opened. Some formats require additional actions to trigger malware download/installation processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is essential to approach incoming emails and other messages with care. We advise against opening attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or infectious.
However, malware is not proliferated only through spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being vigilant when browsing since the Internet is rife with fraudulent and malicious content.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using genuine functions/tools, as illegal product activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.
We must stress the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. This software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove 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 "Internet Bank System" spam email letter:
Subject: Domestic payment : 201OPXO240970122
You have received an payment from Internet Bank system.
You can see the payment activity below
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Internet Bank System" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Internet Bank System" 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 details that they may include. Cyber criminals send out these messages in large-scale operations with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.
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 without delay. And if you have disclosed personally identifiable or finance-related information (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, reading an email poses no infection threat. 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?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the device was compromised. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats may need extra interaction to initiate malware download/installation (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded files/links, etc.).
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan systems and eliminate all kinds of threats. It can detect and remove practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that running a full system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.
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