How to recognize phishing emails like "New Salary Changes"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of scam is "New Salary Changes"?
Our team has examined this email and concluded that it is a phishing email masquerading as a letter regarding salary changes. It is created to appear legitimate and trick unsuspecting recipients into disclosing personal information on a fake website. It is important to recognize such emails and avoid interacting with them.
More about the "New Salary Changes" scam email
This phishing email falsely claims to provide information about upcoming salary changes to trick recipients into clicking the "View Salary report" link (button). It also mentions that recipients can use their online portal to print a PDF, export a CSV, or create a free login to view the supposed salary changes.
Clicking the link leads to a fake portal designed to steal email account login credentials (email addresses and passwords). It is important to mention that the fake site is designed to mimic the recipient's email service provider. For example, if the recipient uses Gmail, the site replicates the appearance of the Gmail login page.
When scammers steal email account login credentials, they often use the account to send phishing emails or emails containing malicious files to the victim’s contacts. They also harvest sensitive information from the inbox, such as financial details or personal messages, and then exploit or sell it.
In other cases, scammers attempt to use the stolen login credentials to access other accounts and, if successful, harvest even more personal information or perform other malicious actions (e.g., make fraudulent purchases or transactions). Therefore, it is highly advisable to be careful with suspicious emails to avoid potential issues.
| Name | New Salary Changes Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Email includes a link to a salary report |
| Disguise | Letter regarding salary changes |
| Symptoms | Generic greeting, urgent language, suspicious links, grammatical errors. |
| 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
Phishing emails are deceptive attempts to steal personal information (like login credentials or credit card details) by masquerading as legitimate offers, warnings, notifications, etc. In order to protect yourself from falling victim to these scams, it is important to be careful, avoid clicking suspicious links, and verify the sender's authenticity.
Examples of similar scams are "Webmail Validation Notice", "Email Address Included In The Blacklist", and "Truist - Disputed Transactions Posted To Your Account". It is worth noting that emails can also be used to deliver malware.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cybercriminals include harmful attachments or links in deceptive emails when they seek to trick users into compromising their systems. The probability of infection varies depending on the type of file opened. For instance, executable files can trigger an instant infection, whereas infected Word documents require the user to enable macros before they can cause damage.
Clicking links in deceptive emails can lead users to malicious websites, where malware may either be downloaded automatically or prompted for manual download. The malware usually remains inactive unless the user engages with the file or link.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Always download files and software from reliable sources, like official websites or app stores. Do not use dubious platforms such as questionable websites, P2P networks, or third-party downloaders for downloads. Regularly update your operating system and software, and use a trusted security tool for full protection.
Be cautious with links or attachments in suspicious emails (e.g., irrelevant emails from unknown senders), and avoid clicking on ads, pop-ups, or other content on untrustworthy websites. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "New Salary Changes" email letter:
Subject: New Salary change
Greetings All,
Please view new salary changes from December, 2024
From your online portal you can print a PDF, export a CSV, or create a free login and view your outstanding salary changes.
View Salary report
Thanks,
-
Phishing website used in this scam:
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Quick menu:
- What is New Salary Changes 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 send the same email to many people, hoping someone will fall for it. These emails are generic and not personalized.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
Change the compromised password as soon as possible. If you cannot access your account (or accounts), notify the service provider.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
If the file is an executable, the risk of infection is high. However, if it is a document (.pdf, .doc, or similar), you may have avoided infection, as merely opening documents is usually not enough for malware to enter the system.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Opening an email itself is harmless. The danger lies in clicking links within the email or opening attached files.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. However, since advanced malware often hides deep within the system, it is essential to run a full system scan to ensure complete removal.
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