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How to spot scams like "Cashplus" email scam

Also Known As: Cashplus spam
Damage level: Severe

What is "Cashplus Email Scam"?

"Cashplus Email Scam" is used to steal Cashplus account details (logins and passwords). This email is sent to many people in the hope that some will fall for the scam and provide their details. We strongly recommend that you ignore this email. Do not click the presented website link or provide the required details. This is just one of many such scams and should not be trusted.

Cashplus Email Scam spam campaign

More about the "Cashplus Email Scam"

Cashplus (the product brand of APS) is a provider of prepaid MasterCard cards and current accounts for consumers, small businesses, and local government authorities in the UK. This is a legitimate brand and has nothing to do with this email scam.

According to scammers who claim to be representatives of Cashplus, due to some changes made in the Cashplus system, its users are required to authenticate their online information (account details) immediately. This scam also warns recipients that if their account details are not validated, Cashplus users might lose access to online banking services.

The email contains a website link ("Authenticate your information"), which, if clicked, leads to a fake Cashplus website that looks identical to the official version. This fake website asks Cashplus users to log in into their accounts by entering a username and password. It then redirects to another website that also looks very similar to the official one.

On this second website, users are asked to enter their email address and password and to 'update' their date of birth. Once all of these details are provided, the Cashplus account is stolen. If you have received this email, we strongly recommend that you ignore it and to delete it immediately.

Threat Summary:
Name Cashplus Email Scam
Threat Type Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Symptoms Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of one's 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)

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Similar scams in general

There are many scam email campaigns online. Some are used to trick people into paying to prevent the distribution of compromising material (photos, videos), whilst others aim to steal details of various accounts, and so on. None should be trusted. Some examples of other similar fraudulent emails include I Hacked Your Device, Google Winner, and I Am Well Aware.

There are a number of spam email campaigns used to infect computers with viruses or other threats. Typically, these emails contain malicious attachments (or links) that, once opened, download and install various computer infections.

The attachments are usually executable files (.exe), Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, and so on), PDF documents, archive files (such as ZIP, RAR), or other such files. Spam campaigns of this type usually infect computers with high-risk viruses such as LokiBot, TrickBot, Emotet, AZORult, and Adwind.

Some of these viruses spread other infections such as ransomware. These malicious programs might cause privacy/browsing safety issues, financial or stealing of private information (banking details, logins, passwords, etc.).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns infect computers only if permission is granted. Therefore, they cannot do any damage without manual intervention by the user. If an email contains a malicious attachment (or website link leading to it), the attachment must first be opened.

For example, if an email contains a malicious Microsoft Office document, when opened it will demand permission to enable macro commands. Enabling them triggers the download and installation process of a high-risk computer infection. Files of other types work similarly (they be opened before they can do any harm).

How to avoid installation of malware?

You are strongly advised not to open attachments (or web links) presented in emails received from unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy addresses without making sure that it is safe to do so. If the email is irrelevant or does not concern you, simply ignore it and delete it. Download software using official, trustworthy sources.

Do not use third party downloaders, peer-to-peer clients (eMule, torrents), unofficial websites or other similar channels. Install software attentively - check "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings/options of all set-ups. Opt-out of offers to install or download any additional unwanted applications and only then complete the download/installation procedure.

Update your software using implemented functions or tools provided by the official developers only. Fake software updaters often install malware (or other unwanted applications) rather than updating or fixing the software.

If you are a Microsoft Office user, we recommend that you use MS Office versions from 2010 on, since later versions have "Protected View" mode integrated, which prevents malicious attachments from downloading and installing malicious programs or other infections.

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 "Cashplus Email Scam" email message:

Subject: Essentials informations required

Dear Member,

For your protection, Cashplus automatically alerts customers when there are changes on our systems. Therefore we are always committed to work hard 24/7 and provide you with our best, We upgrade our systems regularly to ensure constant access to our Online banking.

Due to recent system updates and security measures, We require all current cashplus holder’s to authenticate their online information. It is an essential step towards making our account holders safe and secure always,

Authenticate your information immediately.

Please Note: Failure to validate your account may lead to permanent loss of service to our online banking system.

Cashplus

Screenshot of a fake Cashplus website:

fake cashplus website

Screenshot of a fake Cashplus website asking users to update account details:

fake cashplus website asking to update account details

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Quick menu:

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing email icon 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.

Email-virus icon 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 email icon 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:

Example of an email spam

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?

Criminals send identical letters to thousands of recipients, banking on the chance that someone will be lured by their scheme. These spam emails lack any personalization.

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

If you have inadvertently shared your login credentials in response to this scam email, it is crucial to take immediate action to secure your account. Change your password for the compromised account as soon as possible. Keep a close eye on your accounts for suspicious activity and consider alerting the platform or service provider about the incident.

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

If the file was an executable, it is highly likely. However, if it was a document file (e.g., .pdf, .doc, or similar), you might have escaped infection, as in certain instances, merely opening the document might not be sufficient for malware to breach the system.

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

Merely opening an email is entirely safe. System infections usually occur when users click on links within the email or open attached files.

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

Combo Cleaner has the ability to detect and remove nearly all malware infections. However, it is important to note that advanced malware often conceals itself deep within the system. As a precaution, it is essential to conduct a full system scan to ensure removal.

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

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