Avoid getting scammed by fake "You Are Shortlisted For Tender" emails

What kind of email is "You Are Shortlisted For Tender"?

After inspecting the "You Are Shortlisted For Tender" email, we determined that it is spam. Although it is presented as an RFQ (Request For Quotation), this phishing email targets sensitive company-related and personal information.

"You Are Shortlisted For Tender" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Request for a quotation" (may vary) informs the recipient that they have been chosen to bid on a project. The email has a fake RFQ (Request For Quotation) attached, which the recipient is to fill out and send before the deadline.

It must be stressed that the information in this email is false, and this scam mail is not associated with any legitimate entities.

The attached PDF file is disguised as an RFQ document seeking suppliers for fifteen railway bogies. The details requested by the attachment are sensitive and relate to the recipient's company and identity.

For example, concerning the former – the recipient is asked to provide their company's name, registration number, business IDs, a copy of their tax clearance, etc. As for the latter – full name, contact details, an ID or passport copy, and other details.

Various nefarious activities can be carried out by scammers with this data in their possession. They may also ask for other vulnerable information during communication with victims. Financial fraud is a concern with scams of this kind, as are a variety of severe privacy issues – including identity theft.

If you have disclosed personally identifiable or finance-related information to scammers – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

Threat Summary:

Name	"You Are Shortlisted For Tender" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient is invited to tender and asked to provide the information indicated in the attached RFQ.
Attachment(s)	Request for a quotation.pdf (filename may vary)
Detection Names	N/A (VirusTotal)
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.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have investigated countless spam emails; "You Have Crucial Mails Pending", "Internet Corporation For Assigned Names And Numbers (ICANN)", "Samples Of The Product", and "Internet Bank System" are just some of our latest articles on phishing campaigns.

Commonly targeted information includes personally identifiable details, log-in credentials of various accounts, and finance-related data. However, other types of scams are also promoted through spam mail, and it is used to proliferate malware.

While the widely held belief that spam emails are riddled with errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently crafted and even believably disguised as messages from genuine entities (e.g., corporations, companies, organizations, authorities, etc.).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are commonly used in malware distribution. Deceptive emails/messages can include malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening an infectious file can be enough to trigger malware download/installation. However, some formats require additional actions to initiate system infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend approaching incoming emails and other messages with caution. Attachments or links found in suspicious mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or virulent.

It must be mentioned that malware is proliferated using various techniques. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant while browsing since the Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal product activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates may contain malware.

It is essential to have 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 "You Are Shortlisted For Tender" spam email letter:

Subject: Request for a quotation

Good day

Congratulations, You are shortlisted for tender.
I've attached the RFQ for supply and delivery, Kindly complete this form and return it via email before the deadline.

Regards
Ms. Lerato Motsepe
Tel: 012 516 0770
Department of Mineral Resources & Energy
Address: Trevenna Campus, Building 2C, C/o Meintjes & Francis Baard Street
GP, Pretoria Central
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Screenshot of the file attached to this spam email ("Request for a quotation.pdf"):

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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 Are Shortlisted For Tender" 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?

Regardless of any relevant information that spam emails may include, they are not personal. Data of this kind is typically acquired through publicly available sources or phishing scams. Cyber criminals send out this mail in large-scale operations – 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 personally identifiable or finance-related information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities. And if you've provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, reading an email poses no infection threat; devices are compromised 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 depends on the purpose of the file – i.e., decoy, phishing, or malware infiltration. File formats also impact infection success rates. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some other formats – like malicious documents (.doc, .xls, .one, etc.) – might need additional interaction. Hence, malware download/installation is only triggered after macro commands are enabled, embedded content is clicked, or other actions are performed.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and remove all kinds of threats. It is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. Remember that high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems – therefore, performing a full system scan is crucial.

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