Do not trust fake American Express emails claiming your card was flagged
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged"?
After reviewing this "AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged" email, we determined that it is fake. This spam campaign aims to steal recipients' bank accounts by claiming that their cards have been locked due to security reasons.
It must be emphasized that the information in the email is fake, and this phishing mail is in no way associated with the actual American Express Company (Amex).
"AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged" email scam overview
This spam email is presented as a security notification. It alerts the recipient that their card has been temporarily flagged due to a suspicious charge attempt. The message clarifies that the card has been locked as a security measure.
It must be reiterated that the claims made by this letter are false, and this scam mail is not associated with the real American Express.
The fake email instructs the recipient to review this activity and verify their account to remove the restrictions. The button in this message redirects to a phishing site disguised as the American Express sign-in page.
Log-in credentials entered into this page are recorded and sent to cyber criminals, thereby enabling them to steal victims' bank accounts. Hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
Therefore, victims of scam mail like "AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. Depending on the sensitivity of the compromised data, it might also be necessary to contact the appropriate authorities.
| Name | "AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's card has been blocked due to security concerns. |
| Disguise | American Express |
| Related Domains | simiseeyouinc[.]com |
| Detection Names (simiseeyouinc[.]com) | Fortinet (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (simiseeyouinc[.]com) | 172.67.194.211 |
| 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
"You Have Received A File", "Roundcube - Unusual Login Attempt", and "Office Server" are just a couple of our latest articles on phishing emails.
Aside from log-in credentials, these campaigns commonly target personally identifiable details and finance-related information. However, various scams are promoted through spam mail. It is also used to proliferate all kinds of malware.
While the widely held belief that spam emails are poorly written and riddled with spelling/grammatical errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. These letters can be competently crafted and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate companies, service providers, organizations, authorities, etc.).
Therefore, we strongly advise vigilance with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing infectious files as attachments or download links. These files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once a malicious file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection chain is initiated. However, some formats require additional user interaction to trigger malware download/installation. 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?
It is essential to approach incoming emails and other messages with caution. Attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant 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 recommend being careful while browsing since the Internet is rife with well-disguised fraudulent and malicious content.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. We advise activating and updating software using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.
It is paramount for device/user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security programs 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 "AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged" spam email letter:
Subject: Important Message For -: Your card has been temporarily flagged due to attempted charges.
Platinum Card®
ACCOUNT ENDING: 37-xxxxx
Dear CARD MEMBER,
Important: Your card has been temporarily flagged due to attempted charges.
Advanced security measures are now in place for our esteemed Platinum and Business Gold cardholders
Your card has been locked due to a recent attempt and unusual charges for security reasons, your account needs to be reviewed.
Please confirm if this was you. If not, log on to
americanexpress.com
Follow and complete the verification Process
Once verified, Your card will be removed from the restricted list.
Your protection is our priority, and these enhancements are designed to ensure a secure and worry-free experience.
Thank you for choosing us for your financial needs
Your account information is included above to help you recognize this as a customer care email from American Express. To learn more about email security or report a suspicious email, please visit us at americanexpress.com/phishing . We kindly ask you not to reply to this email but instead contact us via Customer Care.
© 2024 American Express. All rights reserved.
Screenshot of the fake American Express sign-in page promoted by this spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged" 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 they may include, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in large-scale operations – hence, 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 provided your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their official support. However, if you've disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
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 your device was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. Executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail once opened. However, some formats require additional interaction to initiate malware download/installation. Documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) are an example since they require users to enable macros, click embedded content, or perform other actions.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and eliminate all manner of threats. It can detect and remove most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a full system scan is essential since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.
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