How to recognize fake LinkedIn emails

What kind of email is "LinkedIn Message Notification"?

After examining this "LinkedIn Message Notification" email, we determined that it is fake. It is presented as a notification concerning a LinkedIn message about a potential purchase. This email promotes a phishing website that targets email account log-in credentials (passwords).

"LinkedIn Message Notification" email scam overview

This spam email is disguised as a notification from LinkedIn – a business-oriented social media network. The email details the fake LinkedIn message – a supposed business proposal – with the sender being interested in purchasing products offered by the recipient's company.

It must be reiterated that the claims in this email are false, and this mail is not associated with the actual LinkedIn platform or any other legitimate entities.

The phishing website promoted by this campaign is disguised as an email sign-in page adorned with the old Zoho Office Suite logo. The purpose of this site is to record provided information and send it to scammers. Not only do emails tend to include incredibly sensitive data, but they may also open an avenue for cyber criminals to steal linked accounts, platforms, and services.

To expand upon the potential abuse, scammers can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files.

What is more, hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, online banking, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "LinkedIn Message Notification" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft. If you have provided your log-in credentials to a phishing website or file – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have written about countless spam campaigns; "United Nations - Scam Victim Compensation", "Account Update Notification", "Account Security Info", "DOGE Compensation To Fraud Victims Worldwide", and "Binance - Urgent Security Alert" are merely some of our latest articles on phishing emails.

However, other types of scams are also promoted through spam mail, and it is utilized in malware proliferation as well. Various lures are used to gain recipients' interest and trust, e.g., claims concerning business offers, invoices, refunds, account issues, pending messages, expired passwords, security concerns, lotteries, inheritances, etc.

Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we strongly advise caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are often used in malware distribution. This is carried our through malicious files that are attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once such a file is opened – malware infiltration is triggered. However, some formats require additional actions to initiate infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend being vigilant with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent.

However, various methods are used to proliferate malware aside from spam campaigns. Therefore, we also advise being careful while browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous.

Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and verified channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using genuine functions/tools, as illegal software activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

It is essential to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats. 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 "LinkedIn Message Notification" spam email letter:

Subject: ******** - New Message Notification

LinkedIn New Message Notification

Dear Sir/Ma'am,
you've got a message from German Skillet Int'l (Contact Us), details as below:

Sender Name Mr Eduardo

Receiver Email ********

whatsapp +34 56** 32** ****

Message Good day,Would like to know more about your product and also your payment terms.

Can you ship to Spain for some urgent trial order?

IP: 85.136.16.76

Country/Region: Spain

Reply Immediately

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "LinkedIn Message Notification" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "LinkedIn Message Notification" 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?

Spam emails are not personal, regardless of any relevant information that they may include. This mail is distributed in large-scale campaigns – hence, 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 disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you've provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

No, opening/reading an email does not pose an infection threat. Systems 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 – most likely, yes – the device was infected. However, you might have avoided the infection if the file was a document. These formats may need additional actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded files/links, etc.) to trigger malware infiltration processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a complete system scan is crucial since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.