Avoid getting scammed by "You will find a trojan" email
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
"You will find a trojan" email removal guide
What is "You will find a trojan" email?
"You will find a trojan" is the title of a deceptive/scam email. As the name of the letter suggests, it claims that the recipient's device has been infected with a trojan-type malware. It alleges that should the addressee fail to pay a certain sum to the cyber criminals behind this fake infection - it will result in unspecified, yet serious issues. Users should note that this is a scheme and all its claims are false, i.e. their devices are not infected with the malicious program - the email states it is.
Commonly, with the use of bots during spam campaigns - thousands of scam emails are sent. However, "You will find a trojan" letters are sent through website contact forms (i.e. via support/query submission features). The text within this email informs recipients that should they scan their device - they will find that it is infected with a trojan. Supposedly, it is already too late for the users to remove this nonexistent malware manually. The message states that to fix this - users must pay the scammers the equivalent of five hundred US dollars in Bitcoin cryptocurrency. If they fail to do this, the email promises severe consequences. Additionally, there is a link, which leads to instructions detailing how to acquire Bitcoins. The letter also contains the cryptowallet address of the scammers. Should any doubts arrive - there is contact information provided. It must be emphasized that "You will find a trojan" is a scam and users' devices are not in fact infected with the alleged malicious software. It is highly recommended not to trust emails making such demands, regardless of the validity of their claims. Cyber criminals are not to be trusted. In cases when users' systems have indeed been breached - agreeing with the terms set by the individuals responsible is ill-advised, as there are no guarantees that any promises made will be fulfilled.
| Name | You will find a trojan Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | The email claims that the recipient's device has been infected with a trojan. |
| Ransom Amount | 500 USD in Bitcoin cryptocurrency |
| Cyber Criminal Cryptowallet Address | 12j3Kz9F2n2sfTQ57rgewCFXwsJu5T9nSR (Bitcoin) |
| Scammer Contact | basicmodel231@gmail.com; Chucks44 (Wickr messenger); +13239893845 (Whatsapp) |
| 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 Malwarebytes. |
Deceptive emails use a wide variety of scam models, which are encompassed by the terms "social engineering" and "scare-tactics". The primary goal of these letter is to generate revenue for the individuals behind them. This can be achieved by infecting recipients' devices via malicious files, by tricking users into making financial transactions and/or revealing their personal information (e.g. banking account and/or credit card credentials). "LAB Bot", "CVE-2018-10562", "I KNOW YOU OPENED MY LAST MAIL", "You certainly do not know me" are a few examples of other email scams.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Typically, scam mail is sent through large scale spam campaigns. These emails are often disguised as "official", important", "urgent", "priority" mail and so on. Systems are infected through virulent files attached to (or linked in) such letters. Infectious attachments come in various formats, for example: Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archive (ZIP, RAR) and executable (.exe, .run) files, JavaScript, etc. Once a file of this kind is executed, run or otherwise opened - it initiates the infection process. In other words, opening a virulent file triggers it to begin downloading/installing malicious content. To elaborate on how Microsoft Office files cause infections, they do so via malicious macro commands. When MS documents are opened, they request users to enable macro commands (i.e. to enable editing). If they are enabled - the infection starts. In Microsoft Office versions released before the year 2010 - this process begins automatically.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Users are discouraged from opening dubious and/or irrelevant emails, especially ones received from unknown senders (addresses). Any attachments (or links) found in such mail - must never be opened, due to these files carrying a high risk of malware installation. It is strongly advised to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010. The newer versions have "Protected Mode" view, which prevents infectious documents from enabling macro commands when they are opened. Essentially, this mode prevents MS documents from automatically initiating the infection process. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Malwarebytes for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "You will find a trojan" email letter:
Hello!
Just to let you know, if you scan your computer right now you will find a trojan,
its basically allready too late to fix it but the thing is that in order for me not to completely f*** up your life
i would need you to send 500usd in bitcoin to meIf you ignore it i do hope you got a backup plan for your entire life
here is how to get bitcoin: hxxps://buy.bitcoin.com
and you should send to this address;
12j3Kz9F2n2sfTQ57rgewCFXwsJu5T9nSR
if there is any doubt, feel free to contact me
Wickr....Chucks44
Whatsapp...+13239893845
EMAIL...basicmodel231@gmail.com
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Malwarebytes is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is "You will find a trojan email"?
- STEP 1. Manual removal of possible malware infections.
- STEP 2. Check if your computer is clean.
How to remove malware manually?
Manual malware removal is a complicated task - usually it is best to allow antivirus or anti-malware programs to do this automatically. To remove this malware we recommend using Malwarebytes for Windows. If you wish to remove malware manually, the first step is to identify the name of the malware that you are trying to remove. Here is an example of a suspicious program running on a user's computer:
If you checked the list of programs running on your computer, for example, using task manager, and identified a program that looks suspicious, you should continue with these steps:
Download a program called Autoruns. This program shows auto-start applications, Registry, and file system locations:
Restart your computer into Safe Mode:
Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Start your computer in Safe Mode. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, click OK. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until you see the Windows Advanced Option menu, and then select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Video showing how to start Windows 7 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 8 users: Start Windows 8 is Safe Mode with Networking - Go to Windows 8 Start Screen, type Advanced, in the search results select Settings. Click Advanced startup options, in the opened "General PC Settings" window, select Advanced startup. Click the "Restart now" button. Your computer will now restart into the "Advanced Startup options menu". Click the "Troubleshoot" button, and then click the "Advanced options" button. In the advanced option screen, click "Startup settings". Click the "Restart" button. Your PC will restart into the Startup Settings screen. Press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 8 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 10 users: Click the Windows logo and select the Power icon. In the opened menu click "Restart" while holding "Shift" button on your keyboard. In the "choose an option" window click on the "Troubleshoot", next select "Advanced options". In the advanced options menu select "Startup Settings" and click on the "Restart" button. In the following window you should click the "F5" button on your keyboard. This will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 10 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Extract the downloaded archive and run the Autoruns.exe file.
In the Autoruns application, click "Options" at the top and uncheck "Hide Empty Locations" and "Hide Windows Entries" options. After this procedure, click the "Refresh" icon.
Check the list provided by the Autoruns application and locate the malware file that you want to eliminate.
You should write down its full path and name. Note that some malware hides process names under legitimate Windows process names. At this stage, it is very important to avoid removing system files. After you locate the suspicious program you wish to remove, right click your mouse over its name and choose "Delete".
After removing the malware through the Autoruns application (this ensures that the malware will not run automatically on the next system startup), you should search for the malware name on your computer. Be sure to enable hidden files and folders before proceeding. If you find the filename of the malware, be sure to remove it.
Reboot your computer in normal mode. Following these steps should remove any malware from your computer. Note that manual threat removal requires advanced computer skills. If you do not have these skills, leave malware removal to antivirus and anti-malware programs. These steps might not work with advanced malware infections. As always it is best to prevent infection than try to remove malware later. To keep your computer safe, install the latest operating system updates and use antivirus software.
To be sure your computer is free of malware infections, we recommend scanning it with Malwarebytes for Windows.
Outstanding!
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