How to recognize scams like "Donation From Frances and Patrick Connolly"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of scam is "Donation From Frances and Patrick Connolly"?
Our team has examined the email and found that it is a fraudulent email containing a notification regarding a received donation. Scammers behind such emails usually aim to steal personal information and (or) money from unsuspecting individuals. These emails should be ignored to avoid potential consequences.
More about the "Donation From Frances and Patrick Connolly" scam email
The email claims that the recipient has received a donation of €2,500,000 from individuals named Frances and Patrick Connolly as part of their effort to share their wealth. It encourages the recipient to respond for further details and instructions on how to claim the donation.
Moreover, the email emphasizes that this is the second attempt to reach out and includes an email address (frances_patrickconnolly247@aol.com) for contact. The scammers behind this email seek to deceive recipients into providing personal information, such as names, addresses, or bank details, under the guise of processing the donation.
They may also request payments for fake fees, taxes, or other expenses to release the non-existent funds. By tricking victims into complying, the scammers steal their money and (or) exploit their personal details for further fraud. Therefore, it is important to recognize such emails and never respond to them (or follow other instructions).
| Name | Donation From Frances and Patrick Connolly Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | The recipient has been selected to receive €2,500,000 |
| Disguise | Notification regarding a received donation |
| 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
These emails often claim that the recipient has won a lottery, inherited a large sum, or been selected for a donation. They typically promise financial rewards but require personal information or advance payments for processing fees. Their primary goal is to steal money or sensitive details for fraudulent purposes.
It is important to mention that fraudulent emails can contain links and attachments designed to trick users into infecting computers. Some examples of scam emails are "Unclaimed Funds", "Intuit QuickBooks - Negative Comments From A Consumer", and "Capital One - Unrecognized Purchase".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Emails used to distribute malware usually contain malicious attachments or links. The files attached to such emails can be malicious executables, PDFs, MS Office documents, script files, archives, or other files. These files can infect computers after users open or take additional steps (e.g., enable macros in compromised MS Word or Excel documents).
Fraudulent emails may also include deceptive links that redirect users to harmful websites. These sites can silently download malware or trick users into downloading malicious software manually.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Be wary of suspicious emails, especially those with attachments or links. Do not click pop-ups, ads, and links on unreliable websites, and do not agree to receive notifications from dubious sites. Regularly update your operating system and software, and make sure to use reliable antivirus and anti-malware programs to prevent threats.
Download software and files from trusted (official) websites or well-known app stores, and avoid questionable sources (and downloading pirated software, cracking tools, or keygens). 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 "Donation From Frances and Patrick Connolly" email letter:
Subject: €2,500,000 (Two million five hundred thousand euros)Donation.
Hello We are pleased to inform you that you have received a donation of €2,500,000 (Two million five hundred thousand euros) from Frances and Patrick Connolly. This donation is part of our commitment to sharing our blessings with others. Please respond to this email to receive more details and instructions regarding the donation. We hope this gift will allow you to be a blessing to your family and the community at large. Please note that this is our second attempt to contact you. For more info: frances_patrickconnolly247@aol.com Warms Regards Frances and Patrick Connolly
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Quick menu:
- What is Donation From Frances and Patrick Connolly charity scam?
- 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 message to thousands of people, hoping that someone will be tricked. These spam emails are generic and not tailored to the individual.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have shared personal information, act quickly by changing any compromised passwords and alerting your bank or other relevant institutions. Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity and report the incident to the authorities or relevant services.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
If the file was an executable, your system is likely infected. However, if it was a document (.pdf, .doc, or similar), you may have been able to avoid the infection.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
If you only read the email but did not open the attachment, your computer is likely not infected. Computers can be infected via attached files or links.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. However, keep in mind that advanced malware often hides deep within the system, so it is essential to perform a full system scan for thorough protection
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