Avoid getting scammed by fake "Employee Payroll Portal" emails

What kind of email is "Employee Payroll Portal"?

After inspecting this "Employee Payroll Portal" email, we learned that it is spam. It lures recipients into visiting a phishing site targeting email account log-in credentials by presenting it as a way to securely access their payroll information.

"Employee Payroll Portal" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Access Your Payroll Information Securely" (may vary) states that the recipient can securely access their payroll data through the provided link. The message advises the recipient to contact their HR department if they encounter any issues.

It must be emphasized that the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or other entities.

After the recipient presses the "View Payroll Information" button, they are redirected to a phishing website that imitates their email sign-in page. Sites of this kind record entered information and send it to cyber criminals. Hence, by attempting to sign in through this webpage, victims expose their email log-in credentials and, by extension, their accounts to scammers.

The unauthorized access can be variously abused; sensitive information can be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes, and the accounts/platforms/services registered through the email may get hijacked as well.

To expand upon how scammers can use stolen accounts (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messages, etc.), they can steal the owners' identities and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Furthermore, finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, digital wallets, money transferring, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Employee Payroll Portal" can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already entered your account credentials into a phishing website/file – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Employee Payroll Portal" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient can access their payroll information through the provided link.
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 numerous spam campaigns; "Removal Request Approved And Initiated", "Email Has Not Been Validated", "Job Hai", "Christmas Sample", and "DHL - INCOMING PACKAGE NOTIFICATION" are merely a few of our newest articles on phishing emails.

Aside from log-in credentials, commonly targeted information includes personally identifiable details and finance-related data. However, various scams are facilitated through spam mail, and it is used to spread malware.

While the widely held belief that these emails are poorly written and riddled with grammatical/spelling 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 service providers, companies, organizations, authorities, and other entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are often used in malware distribution. These emails/messages include infectious files as attachments or download links. Malicious 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 such a file is opened. However, some formats require additional actions to begin downloading/installing malware. 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/files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We advise caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be 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 fake and dangerous content.

Furthermore, all downloads must be made from official and verified sources. Software must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal product activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters may contain malware.

It is essential for device integrity and user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to perform 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 "Employee Payroll Portal" spam email letter:

Subject: Access Your Payroll Information Securely

Employee Payroll Portal

Welcome to the Employee Payroll Portal. You can access your payroll information securely using the link provided below.

View Payroll Information

If you encounter any issues, please contact your HR department for assistance.

******** All rights reserved.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Employee Payroll Portal" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Employee Payroll Portal" 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 details relevant to the recipients. This mail is sent out in large-scale campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar messages.

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

If you have provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., passport photos/scans, ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact the corresponding authorities without delay.

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

No, merely opening/reading an email poses no infection threat. Systems 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 – the device was infected. However, you might have avoided compromising the system if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.). These formats may require extra actions to jumpstart malware download/installation (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded files/links, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan systems and remove all manner of threats. It can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a complete system scan is paramount since high-end malicious software usually hides deep within systems.

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