Avoid getting scammed by fake "Sharpsmart Inc." emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is the "Sharpsmart Inc." email?
"Sharpsmart Inc. email scam" refers to a spam campaign. These emails supposedly relate to a payment invoice. It must be emphasized that the letters in question are not associated with any legitimate entities that they mention. Furthermore, all the information provided by the emails is false.
"Sharpsmart Inc. email scam" overview
The deceptive emails state that the recipients' invoice has been approved to pay by the customer. Hence, no additional actions are required, yet they are still urged to review the status/details by clicking the "View Invoice" button. The letters also contain other payment related information.
Typically, scams like the fake "Sharpsmart Inc." emails operate as phishing schemes. They attempt to trick users into exposing sensitive information, e.g., personally identifiable details, log-in credentials (usernames/passwords), and finance-related data (e.g., banking account details, credit card numbers, etc.).
The information can be obtained through deception or promotion of phishing files/websites that record the data typed into them. It is noteworthy that phishing content can be disguised as legitimate material (e.g., account sign-in webpages, payment gateways, etc.).
To elaborate on how the stolen data be used - it can be sold to third-parties (potentially, cyber criminals) or used to further other scams.
Stolen communication accounts (e.g., emails, messengers, etc.) can be used to ask the contacts for loans or to proliferate malware - under the guise of the real owner. While finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
Furthermore, "Sharpsmart Inc." scam emails might also ask recipients to make bogus payments for transactions, shipping, registration, subscription, etc.
To summarize, by trusting emails of this type - users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
| Name | Sharpsmart Inc. email scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Scam emails supposedly relate to a payment invoice |
| 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. |
Spam campaigns in general
"HP ePrint Email Scam", "Your Outlook Account Was Logged In Email Scam", "WalletConnect Email Scam", "Craiglist Email Virus", "Cosco Shipping Bank Email Virus", and "Google Pay Email Virus" are some examples of spam campaigns.
Deceptive emails can have various disguises and use different scam models. Additionally, these letters are used to spread malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, etc.). Due to how widespread spam mail is, it is highly recommended to exercise caution with incoming emails and messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam emails can have virulent files as attachments or download links. These files can be Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archives, executables, JavaScript, etc. When they are opened - malware download/installation is jumpstarted.
For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands. This process is initiated when opened in Microsoft Office versions released before 2010. Newer versions have "Protected View" mode that prevents this automatic process; instead, users can manually enable macros (i.e., editing/content). What is more, infectious documents can contain messages intended to trick users into allowing macro commands.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is advised against opening suspicious and irrelevant emails. The attachments and links found in these letters must not be opened, as they can cause system infections. It is recommended to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010.
Aside from spam mail, malware is also proliferated via dubious download channels (e.g., unofficial and freeware sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), illegal activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates. Therefore, it is crucial to download from official/verified sources and activate/update programs with tools provided by genuine developers.
It is paramount to have a dependable anti-virus installed and updated. This software has to be used to perform regular system scans and to remove 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 "Sharpsmart Inc." scam email letter:
Invoice #12077 is Approved to Pay by [******] Sharpsmart Inc.
Powered by
Hello [******],
Your Invoice #12077 has been approved to pay by your customer., No further action is required but you can click below for real time status or additional details.
If your customer's process is to mark the Invoice as 'Paid' in Coupa, you will get a notification at that time with instructions for payment details.
If you have any questions you can simply contact your customer through normal channels or enter a comment on the Invoice.
View Invoice
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Quick menu:
- What is Sharpsmart Inc. spam?
- 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. The same letter is sent to thousands of users; the cyber criminals hope that at least some of the recipients will fall for their scam.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by a spam email, what should I do?
If you have disclosed account credentials - change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support. And if you have provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) - immediately contact relevant authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, opening a spam email will not trigger infection processes. The attachments and links present in such mail - initiate malware download/installation upon being opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether an infection process was triggered - depends on the file's format. If it was an executable - then, most likely, yes. However, if it was a document (e.g., .doc, .pdf, etc.) - you might have avoided jumpstarting such processes, as these formats often require additional actions (e.g., macro command enablement).
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate practically all known malware infections. It is noteworthy that high-end malicious programs tend to be hidden deep within the system. Therefore, running a full system scan is crucial.
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