How to identify scams like "COVID - Sick and Family Leave Act"

What is "COVID - Sick and Family Leave Act" scam?

Our team has analyzed this email and discovered that it is a fraudulent letter offering recipients to claim a large sum of money. The scammers behind it aim to trick recipients into opening a fake website and entering personal information. Thus, this email should not be trusted.

More about the "COVID - Sick and Family Leave Act" scam email

The scam email is disguised as a letter from Benjamin Conrad, a Sick and Family Leave Act Specialist. It offers self-employed individuals a chance to receive up to $32,220 through the Sick and Family Leave Act due to hardships from the COVID pandemic. It implies that recipients may qualify if they filed 1099 income or were sole proprietors in 2020 or 2021.

The email promises a quick and simple process to obtain money. It claims that users can fill out a quick assessment, verify their ID, and receive money in about 30 days, with a zero upfront option for quick deposits. It urges recipients not to miss out on this opportunity and includes a "Get Started Now" link.

Clicking that link opens a fake United Business Solutions website designed to trick recipients into "claiming their tax credit". Following the instructions on this fraudulent site leads to a request to provide details such as first and last name, email address, mobile phone number, and occupation.

It is very likely that the scammers behind this site also aim to extract other personal information, such as credit card details and (or) ID card information. Additionally, potential victims may be asked to pay some "administration" or other fees. Overall, it is highly advisable to carefully examine emails before opening links and providing information.

Threat Summary:

Name	COVID - Sick and Family Leave Act Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipients can claim $32,220
Related Domains	wholesalepaymentsprocessing[.]com, gigworker[.]claims
Detection Names (wholesalepaymentsprocessing[.]com)	Abusix (Spam), alphaMountain.ai (Spam), Fortinet (Spam), Sophos (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Detection Names (gigworker[.]claims)	Abusix (Spam), Sophos (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Disguise	Letter from Benjamin Conrad, a Sick and Family Leave Act Specialist
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.

Similar scam emails in general

Scam emails of this type often promise large sums of money or exclusive offers to entice recipients into providing personal information. They frequently use urgent language to pressure individuals into acting quickly. They also contain suspicious links or attachments. It is important to note that the contents of such emails can be used to deliver malware.

Examples of similar emails are "Payment Has Been Sent", "Treasurer Shared A Folder", and "MetaMask Wallet Verification".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors use email to spread malware by including harmful attachments or links. Opening these malicious files can lead to infections, but not all files trigger an immediate infection. For example, malware hidden in Microsoft Office documents will not activate unless users turn on macro commands (enable editing/content).

Additionally, links in these scam emails can direct users to deceptive websites that entice them to download harmful files or software. These links might also take users to sites that automatically install malware on their devices without any user intervention.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Do not download pirated software (or cracking tools and key generators) or use unofficial sites, third-party app stores or downloaders, P2P networks, etc., for downloading apps or files. Only download software and files from reputable sources, such as official websites and trusted app stores.

Always carefully review emails before opening attachments or clicking on links, particularly if they are from unknown senders or appear suspicious. Exercise caution with ads, pop-ups, buttons, or links on questionable websites. Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and consider using a dependable antivirus/anti-malware program.

If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

The appearance of the fake United Business Solutions website used in this scam (GIF):

Text presented in the "COVID - Sick and Family Leave Act" email letter:

Subject: Time is Running Out! Claim Your $32K Now!

Hi Friend,

The COVID pandemic impacted all of us deeply - shutdowns, illness, caregiving, and, for many, the loss of loved ones. In the face of these challenges, financial hardships were widespread.

There's a new opportunity for self-employed individuals to receive up to $32,220 through the Sick and Family Leave Act. It's easier than you might think.

You probably qualify if you filed 1099 income, a Schedule C, or were a sole proprietor in 2020 or 2021.

In just 2 simple steps, you could have your money in about 30 days - without the long wait from the IRS.

Fill out our quick assessment to report any work lost due to COVID-19.

Verify your ID, and let us handle the rest.

It's that simple, and if you qualify, there's even a zero upfront option for a quick deposit into your bank account (usually in less than 30 days).

Don't miss out. Get Started Now and claim what's yours.

Best,

Benjamin Conrad
Sick and Family Leave Act Specialist
Visit Our Website

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 COVID - Sick and Family Leave Act 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?

Scammers often send identical emails to large groups of recipients, making them generic rather than personalized. They gather email addresses through several methods, such as data breaches where personal information is leaked or by using fake websites that trick users into providing their details.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

If you have shared any account credentials, change all your passwords right away. If scammers have extracted other personal information, like credit card numbers or ID details, contact the relevant authorities as soon as possible.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

Opening executable files poses a higher risk of infection. Document files like .pdf or .doc are usually safer since opening them does not always lead to malware. So, the risk of infection depends on the type of file you open.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Opening an email is usually safe, but clicking on links or opening attachments can cause infections on your system.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner can find and remove most malware, but because advanced malware can hide deep in the system, a full scan may be needed to remove it completely.

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