How to recognize fake emails like "Password Credentials"

What kind of scam "Password Credentials"?

We have inspected the email and discovered that it is disguised as a notification from an email service provider regarding a password expiration. This email is part of the scheme where scammers aim to extract personal information from unsuspecting individuals. Such emails should be ignored.

More about the "Password Credentials" scam email

This phishing email claims that the recipient's password validation will expire soon. It warns that the email account will be automatically closed unless the user takes action. A clickable link ("Keep the same password") is included, leading to a fake login site to steal login credentials.

The page opened through the provided link mimics the design of the recipient's email service provider. For instance, if the recipient uses Gmail, the phishing page imitates the Gmail login website. On this site, potential victims are requested to provide their email addresses and passwords.

Scammers use stolen email credentials to access the victim's email account, which they exploit for various purposes. They can steal sensitive information, reset passwords for other accounts, or impersonate the victim to scam their contacts. These accounts are often used to send phishing emails or malicious files and links.

Scammers may also try to use the same login details to access more accounts (e.g., social media or gaming accounts) and sell access to compromised accounts on dark web marketplaces. Overall, falling victim to such scams can lead to serious consequences, including monetary loss and identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Password Credentials Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Email account password will expire soon
Related Domain	wixauth-processing[.]es
Detection Names	CRDF (Malicious), CyRadar (Malicious), ESET (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Sophos (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Disguise	Notification from an email service provider
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. ▼ 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

Phishing emails often use urgen languate to appear important. They include suspicious links that lead to fraudulent websites designed to steal personal information (e.g., login credentials or credit card details). These emails usually contain poor grammar and vague details. Deceptive emails can also be used to distribute malware.

Some examples of phishing emails are "Zoho WorkDrive", "Contract/Inheritance/Winning Payment", and "Vendor Registration Process".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals behind emails used to deliver malware include malicious attachments or links. The risk varies based on the type of file attached; for instance, executable files can instantly infect a device when opened, while malicious Word documents need the user to enable macros before activating the threat.

Clicking links in these deceptive emails can take users to harmful websites, where malware may either automatically download or require the user to download it manually. Overall, threat actors behind such emails aim to trick recipients into taking some kind of action to infect computers.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with links or attachments in questionable emails (e.g., irrelevant or unexpected emails), especially from unknown senders. Avoid clicking ads, pop-ups, or any content on untrustworthy websites. Always download files and software from reliable sources, like official websites or reputable app stores.

Keep your operating system and software up to date, and use trusted security tools for protection. Do not use unreliable platforms, such as suspicious websites, P2P networks, or third-party downloaders, and avoid downloading pirated software, cracking tools, or key generators.

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 "Password Credentials" email letter:

Subject: Password Credentials *********

Password Credentials
Your password validation expires 2/12/2024 12/2/2024 10:50:14 p.m. your Email ******** will be closed automatically.

Click below to maintain the same password.
Keep the same password
Webmaster for ******** Account and services.
© 2024

Phishing website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Password Credentials 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 identical emails to multiple recipients, hoping to deceive at least one person. These emails are not personalized/targeted.

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

If you have shared any login credentials, change all your passwords immediately to secure your accounts. Make sure to enable two-factor authentication wherever possible for added protection.

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

The risk depends on the file type. For instance, executable files present a high risk as they can trigger an immediate infection when opened. In contrast, documents (such as .pdf, .doc, or similar) require additional actions, like enabling macros, to activate the threat.

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

Opening a deceptive email is safe, but clicking links or opening attachments can result in system infections

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner is effective at detecting and removing most known malware infections. However, advanced malware can hide deep within the system, so performing a full system scan is crucial for thorough removal.

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