Avoid losing your account via fake "Samples Of The Product" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What kind of email is "Samples Of The Product"?
After inspecting the "Samples Of The Product" email, we determined that it is spam. It is presented as a potential purchase order. The spam mail enticed recipients into visiting a phishing website that targets their email account log-in credentials.
It must be stressed that the information in this email is false, and this mail is in no way associated with the actual Sanmina Corporation or any other genuine entities.
"Samples Of The Product" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "NEW ORDER PRODUCTS NEEDED" (may vary) is presented as a product inquiry from Sanmina Corporation.
The recipient is requested to review the shared list and respond as to whether they can provide the products detailed therein. If the recipient can be a provider, they are asked to send their best quote, including delivery. Supposedly, to access the sender's website and view the product list – the recipient must sign in using their log-in credentials.
It must be reiterated that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with the real Sanmina Corporation or other legitimate entities.
"Samples Of The Product" message promotes a phishing site that imitates the recipient's email sign-in page. Log-in credentials (passwords) entered into this webpage are recorded and sent to scammers.
Emails are of particular interest to cyber criminals since they tend to contain confidential and other sensitive information, which is especially true of work accounts.
Additionally, scammers may gain access to the accounts, platforms, and services registered through the compromised email. To expand upon this, criminals can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious links or files.
The last of the listed nefarious activities is commonly encountered when cyber criminals target companies and other large entities, as through a hijacked email – they might open an avenue for infecting the corporate network with trojans, ransomware, or other malware.
Vulnerable data discovered on compromised communication or data sharing/storage platforms can be used for blackmail or sold to the victims' competitors. Stolen finance-related account (e.g., e-commerce, digital wallets, money transferring, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
In summary, by trusting an email like "Samples Of The Product" – users may experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support.
| Name | "Samples Of The Product" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient is requested to review the product list and provide their best quote. |
| Disguise | Sanmina Corporation |
| 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 examined numerous spam emails; "Internet Bank System", "Your Mailbox Will Automatically Synchronize", and "Degussa Bank email scam" are merely a couple of our newest articles on phishing campaigns.
In addition to log-in credentials, these letters commonly seek personally identifiable information and finance-related data. However, other scams are also promoted through spam mail, and it is used to proliferate malware.
While the widely held belief that spam emails are poorly written and full of spelling/grammatical errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently put together and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., corporations, companies, organizations, institutions, service providers, authorities, etc.).
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing infectious files, which can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
The infection chain is initiated once a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened. However, some formats need extra interaction to jumpstart 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?
It is important to always treat incoming emails and other messages with caution. We advise against opening attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or malicious.
It must be mentioned that malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous.
Furthermore, all downloads must be made from official and verified sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update software using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.
It is essential to device integrity and user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. 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 "Samples Of The Product" spam email letter:
Subject: NEW ORDER PRODUCTS NEEDED
Hello *****,
l would use this opportunity to briefly introduce our company, Sanmina Corporation. We are one of the leading importers in America, Asia , and the Middle East on general Goods and Equipment.
On behalf of Sanmina Corporation, these are the samples of the product that we want to develop.
Kindly login with your valid email and password to view our website for the samples and the product we need and let us know if your company can make something similar like this product.
PRODUCT_LIST PDF
Please quote us your best prices and the cost of delivery to our port and if the price meets our price target we can place our order as soon as possible.
Waiting for your quick response.
Best Regards,
Brenda Lamendeau
Supply Chain
Sanmina Corporation 500 March Road
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
hxxp://www.sanmina.com
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Samples Of The Product" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Samples Of The Product" 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, even if they include information relevant to the recipients. Data of this kind is typically acquired through publicly available sources or phishing scams. Cyber criminals distribute these emails by the thousand 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. And if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Reading an email is harmless; 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?
Whether the device was infected may depend on the format of the opened file. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some other formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) – might need additional user interaction, such as enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, and so on.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing nearly all known malware infections. It must be stressed that performing a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.
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