Avoid getting scammed by fake "Your Transaction Has Been Released" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Your Transaction Has Been Released"?
After reading this "Your Transaction Has Been Released" email, we determined that it is spam. This fake message states that the recipient's funds have finally been released, and they are urged to contact the sender with their details for further information on how to claim the exorbitant sum. Once contacted, the scammers may request additional personal data or to send them money.
"Your Transaction Has Been Released" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "Good news-" (may vary) is presented as a missive from the head of operation/services and commercial director of Reliance Bank. The letter informs the recipient that their funds, which had been under the "international financial file pending list", have been released.
The sum of 3,150,000 GBP (Pound sterling) was released through the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and will be transferred to the recipient's bank as a "subvention payment". The transaction will go through without interruption, as all the necessary paperwork and procedures have been completed. The recipient is instructed to provide their name and telephone number for further information on getting the funds.
It must be emphasized that all the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with the actual Reliance Bank Limited or any other legitimate entities.
How the scam will progress after the scammers are contacted can vary. Phishing scams seek sensitive information, such as personally identifiable details, log-in credentials of various accounts (e.g., emails, social media, digital wallets, online banking, etc.), and finance-related data (e.g., credit/debit card numbers, etc.).
The disclosed information could be used for a variety of nefarious purposes, including to steal victims' identities, facilitate unauthorized transactions, and make fraudulent online purchases.
Alternatively, cyber criminals can request victims to send them money under legitimate-sounding pretenses like paying taxes or transaction fees. Difficult-to-trace methods (e.g., cryptocurrencies, gift cards, pre-paid vouchers, etc.) are often used to acquire the funds, as that diminishes chances of successful prosecution and money retrieval by victims.
To summarize, by trusting an email like "Your Transaction Has Been Released" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have provided personally identifiable or finance-related information to scammers – immediately contact the appropriate authorities. And if you've disclosed your log-in credentials (such as by entering them into a fake sign-in page) – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.
| Name | "Your Transaction Has Been Released" spam email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's funds of £3,150,000 have been released and can be claimed. |
| Disguise | Reliance Bank Limited |
| 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. |
Spam campaigns in general
Spam emails are used to promote various scams, e.g., phishing, advance fee, tech support, sextortion, lottery, refund, inheritance, etc. These messages are also utilized in trojan, ransomware, and other malware distribution.
While the widely held belief that spam mail is poorly written and riddled with mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. These emails can be competently put together and even believably disguised as messages from genuine entities (e.g., companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, etc.).
We have investigated thousands of spam campaigns; "Account Validation", "Capital One Bank Account Activity", "AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged", "DHL - Customs Clearance", "You Have Received A File", "Your Netflix Subscription Is Expiring Soon", "Moving Funds To Your Account", "Product Specification For Korean Market", and "Beneficiary Of Will" are just some of our latest articles.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns spread malware through infectious files attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. Malicious files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Merely opening such a file can be enough to trigger malware download/installation. However, some formats require additional user interaction to jumpstart 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 on embedded links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious.
It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferate exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise vigilance when browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears genuine and harmless.
Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and verified channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.
It is paramount for device and user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. This software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. 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 "Your Transaction Has Been Released" spam email letter:
Subject: Good news-
Good day...
We write to bring you the good news that your transaction which has been under the international financial file pending list for a very long time now has finally been released through the International Financial Reporting Standards, known as IFRS Standards and a total sum of £3,150,000.00 has been approved to be transferred to you from our bank as a subvention payment award prize fund. You can now receive the funds freely without any interruptions from any financial authorities because all the necessary paperwork has been authenticated and endorsed by the relevant authorities.
Reply immediately with your name(s) as will appear in your payment file record and your current contact number and we shall advise you on the procedure to enable you to receive the payment without any further delays.
Mrs. L McEwan
Head of operation/services &
Commercial Director.
Reliance Bank Limited
Billingsgate, London EC3R 8EB,
United Kingdom
Signed by:
Management.
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ 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 "Your Transaction Has Been Released" spam 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 details relevant to the recipients. Cyber criminals distribute these messages in large-scale campaigns – 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 provided your personally identifiable or finance-related information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities. However, if you've disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially 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?
Merely 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?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your device was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to initiate malware download/installation.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and eliminate all kinds of threats. It can detect and remove most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a complete system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.
Outstanding!
▼ Show Discussion