How to recognize scams like "Vendor Registration Process"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of scam is "Vendor Registration Process"?
Our examination of the email has shown that it is a scam aimed at tricking recipients into disclosing personal information. Emails of this type are called phishing emails, and they often impersonate trusted organizations or services to deceive recipients. It is important to recognize such emails and ignore them.
More about the "Vendor Registration Process" scam email
The email claims to invite businesses to register as vendors for Etihad Aviation Group's upcoming projects and services, linked to "Adaireaexpo 2024/2025". Recipients are asked to request a "Vendor Questionnaire and Expression of Interest" document. It uses the name "Mrs. Fatima Fadia" as the sender and includes Etihad Airways details.
This is a phishing email designed to steal sensitive information under the guise of a partnership opportunity. Usually, scammers behind such emails seek to extract credit card details, ID card information, login credentials, or other details. If they achieve this, they can steal identities, personal accounts, money, or take other malicious actions.
Additionally, these scams can lead to computer infections if malicious attachments or links are clicked. Therefore, it is important to be cautious and avoid responding to unsolicited emails (and interacting with their contenrs like files or liks), especially if they are from unknown senders.
| Name | Vendor Registration Process Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Disguise | Invitation to participate in the vendor registration process |
| 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 designed to deceive recipients into sharing sensitive information, often leading to identity theft or financial loss. The scammers behind them often pretend to be legitimate companies or other entities by including names, addresses, logos, and other elements.
It is important to be cautious of unsolicited messages and verify their legitimacy before taking action. If emails of this kind contain files or links, they may be used to deliver malware. Some examples of scam emails are: "Message Sent Using DocuSign Service", "Mailbox Service Notification", and "New Salary Changes".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Threat actors often embed malicious attachments or links in fraudulent emails to lure users into infecting their devices. The risk of infection depends on the file type; for example, executable files can trigger an immediate infection, while malicious Word documents (if opened with MS Office released in or after 2010) require the user to enable macros before activating the threat.
Clicking links in these deceptive emails may direct users to harmful websites, where malware could be automatically downloaded or require manual execution.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Keep your operating system and software up to date, and use reliable security tools for protection. Be cautious with links or attachments in suspicious emails, especially those from unknown senders. Avoid clicking on ads, pop-ups, or any content on untrustworthy websites. Always download files and software from trusted sources, such as official websites or reputable app stores.
Avoid using unreliable platforms, such as questionable websites, P2P networks, or third-party downloaders, and downloading pirated software, cracking tools, key generators, etc. 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 "Vendor Registration Process" email letter:
Subject: Expression Of Interest
Dear,
We are pleased to invite your esteemed company to participate in the vendor registration process and consider partnering with Etihad Aviation Group for our upcoming projects and services, in collaboration with our Adaireaexpo 2024/2025.
If you are interested in participating, please request the Vendor Questionnaire and Expression of Interest (EOI) document. We appreciate your prompt response and look forward to exploring potential collaborations. forward to exploring potential collaborations.
This opportunity is open to companies worldwide, and we welcome your interest.
Best regards,
Mrs. Fatima Fadia
Etihad Aviation Group PJSC (ETDAG)
Etihad Airways - Head Office
New Airport Road, Khalifa City
PO Box 35566, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Toll-Free: 800 - ETDAG (27335)"
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Quick menu:
- What is Vendor Registration Process 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?
Fraudsters send the same email to all recipients, hoping that someone will be tricked. Their emails are not personal.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have shared any login credentials, change all passwords. Contact the relevant authorities immediately if you have disclosed other personal information, such as credit card details or ID card information.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
It depends on the file. For example, executable files pose a high risk of infection, as they can cause immediate infection when opened. Documents (like .pdf, .doc, or similar) require additional interaction.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Opening an email is harmless. However, clicking on links within the email or opening attached files can lead to system infections.
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, it is important to remember that advanced malware often hides deep within the system, so performing a full system scan is recommended.
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