Avoid getting scammed by fake "NEOM Giga Projects" emails

What kind of email is "NEOM Giga Projects"?

After inspecting this "NEOM Giga Projects" email, we determined that it is fake. This spam message is presented as an invitation to vendors from across the globe to offer their services to the Neom urban project.

It must be stressed that the information in this email is false, and this mail is in no way associated with the actual Neom megaproject. This spam campaign likely targets private information or victims' funds directly.

"NEOM Giga Projects" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Invitation: Invitation to Shape NEOM's Urban and Sustainability Vision" (may vary) briefly details Neom – an urban area planned to be built in the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia, a megaproject that includes a green energy city, industrial complex, global trade hub, and multiple resorts.

Supposedly, this letter is a worldwide invitation to vendors. Suppliers/providers/experts from a variety of spheres are sought, e.g., real estate, construction, manufacturing, energy, financing, health, food, entertainment, media, etc. Interested parties are to request an Invitation To Tender/ Expression Of Interest (ITT/EOI) and the "NEOM Vendor Registration Questionnaire (VRQ)".

It must be emphasized that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with any real public figures or Neom. The goals of this spam campaign are unclear as of the time of writing. Scammers can make various requests during their communication with potential victims.

In many cases, mail of this kind targets sensitive information. Documents submitted in response to ITTs/EOIs or bogus vendor questionnaires can contain private company data that may be used for nefarious purposes.

Cyber criminals can also send victims to phishing websites that imitate legitimate service sign-in pages. Thus, they can obtain log-in credentials of various accounts and use them to make monetary requests/demands from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, or proliferate malware – all under the guise of the account's real owner.

The aim might be to infect the victim's corporate network with trojans, ransomware, or other malware, and this could be achieved by sending malicious files/links directly or by using stolen accounts to the same end. Additionally, victims may be deceived into sending money to scammers under the guise of paying fees, taxes, and the like.

In summary, by trusting an email like "NEOM Giga Projects" – users may experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have disclosed personally identifiable or finance-related data to criminals (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities. And if you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"NEOM Giga Projects" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Invitation to vendors across the globe.
Disguise	Neom
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.

Spam campaigns in general

Spam campaigns are used to facilitate various scams, including phishing, advance fee, technical support, sextortion, refund, and so on. Additionally, this mail is used to distribute all kinds of malware.

While these emails are often poorly written and riddled with grammatical/spelling mistakes, they can be competently put together and even convincingly disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., corporations, companies, organizations, authorities, etc.)

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How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware through malicious files that can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

Malware downloads/installation can be triggered by merely opening an infectious file. However, some formats need extra interaction to initiate infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Caution is essential to online safety. Therefore, approach incoming emails and other messages with care. Do not open attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail, as they can be virulent.

Since malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail, it is just as important to be vigilant while browsing, as the Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content.

Additionally, download only from official and trustworthy sources. Activate and update software using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal program activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

It is paramount for device integrity and user safety to have a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove threats and issues. 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 "NEOM Giga Projects" spam email letter:

Subject: Invitation: Invitation to Shape NEOM’s Urban and Sustainability Vision

Dear Sir/Madam,

We would like to invite you to be part of the NEOM Giga projects—an exceptionally unique initiative and game-changer in the future of urban living and sustainability.
As we forge ahead in building iconic projects such as The Line, Oxagon, Trojena, and Sindalah, we welcome your involvement in one of the most ambitious endeavors globally.

For the first time, NEOM Group is extending an unprecedented invitation to vendors worldwide. This exclusive opportunity allows companies to contribute to a project of remarkable scale and vision.

Vendor registration is now open to companies across diverse industries, including but not limited to Real Estate, Design & Construction, Education, Energy, Entertainment & Culture, Financial Services,
Food, Health & Wellbeing, Manufacturing, Media, Mobility, Sport, Technology & Digital, Tourism, and Water. This process ensures that all interested parties receive Invitations to Tender (ITT) or Requests for Quotations (RFQ),
facilitating a thorough evaluation of their financial standing, capabilities, and suitability for NEOM’s visionary projects.

 

Participation is open globally, and registration is entirely free. Simply request the official NEOM Vendor Registration Questionnaire (VRQ) and Expression of Interest (EOI) form to confirm your interest.
Don’t miss this chance to be part of a transformative journey that is shaping history.

We eagerly anticipate your participation and the opportunity to build the future together.

Regards,

Nasir Al Farid ZL
Chief Investment Officer &
Global Procurement Manager

NEOM Headquarters
Tabuk Province,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
eMail: procurements4@neom-vendors-registrations.com

Appearance of the "NEOM Giga Projects" spam email (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is "NEOM Giga Projects" 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?

Even if a spam email includes information relevant to the recipient – that does not make it personal. These messages are distributed in massive operations – therefore, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) emails.

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

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

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

No, reading an email does not pose an infection threat. Devices are infected 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 system was infected. However, you might have avoided the infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to jumpstart malware download/installation.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a complete system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs tend to hide deep within the systems.

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