Avoid getting scammed by fake "FileShare" emails

What is the "FileShare" email?

"FileShare email scam" refers to a spam campaign. These letters claim that several files have been shared with the recipients. It must be emphasized that the "FileShare" emails are fake, and none of their claims are true. Therefore, by trusting these messages, users can experience various severe issues.

"FileShare" email scam overview

The scam emails state that two documents - "Company Agreement.pdf" and "List of orders.pdf" have been shared with the recipients. They are urged to view the files by clicking the "Dσcuments" button.

Typically, emails like "FileShare" operate as phishing scams. They attempt to extract users' personal information, e.g., names, addresses, emails, telephone numbers, account credentials (i.e., usernames/passwords), and finance-related data (e.g., banking account details, credit card numbers, etc.). The data is obtained via phishing websites or files, which record the information typed into them.

The goal of all scams is to generate revenue for the criminals behind them. To elaborate, communication platforms (e.g., emails, social networking, etc.) can be used to ask contacts for loans or to proliferate malware (by sharing malicious files/links) - under the guise of the accounts' genuine owners. Finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, shopping, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, trusting scam emails like "FileShare" - can lead to system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	FileShare Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Scam emails claim that files have been shared with the recipients.
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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Spam campaigns in general

"Norton Subscription Will Renew Today", ".xlsx Document For Your Preview", "Download The Pending Mails Manually", "Sharpsmart Inc. Email Scam", "Im In Possession Of All Of Your Private Data", and "HP ePrint Email Scam" are some examples of spam emails.

In addition to phishing and other scams, deceptive letters also spread malware (e.g., ransomware, trojans, cryptocurrency miners, etc.). Spam mail is quite prevalent - therefore, it is highly recommended to exercise caution with incoming emails and messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails cause infections via malicious files attached to and/or linked inside them. These files can be Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archives, executables, JavaScript, etc. When the files are opened - malware download/installation is triggered.

For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands. This process is automatic in Microsoft Office versions released before 2010. Newer versions have "Protected View" mode that prevents it; instead, users can manually enable macros (i.e., editing/content).

It is noteworthy that virulent documents often contain deceptive 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 present 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 websites, 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 kept updated. This software has to be used to run regular system scans and to remove threats and issues. 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 "FileShare" scam email letter:

Subject:  An internal Folder (RC No: 9830001741) has been shared with -

 

FileShare for  -
items :
Company Agreement.pdf
List of orders.pdf

 

A new dσcument has been shared wιth yσu on
- Portal

Dσcuments

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is FileShare 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, and thousands of users receive the same letter.

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

If you have provided account credentials - immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts. And if you disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) - contact the relevant authorities without delay.

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

No, opening a spam email will not trigger any infection processes. Malware download/installation is initiated when an attachment or link present in such an email - is 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, then most likely - yes. However, you might have avoided jumpstarting an infection chain if the file was a document (e.g., .doc, .pdf, etc.). Document formats can require additional actions (e.g., macro command enablement) - to begin downloading/installing malicious software.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan systems, detect and eliminate almost all of the known malware infections. However, performing full system scans is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.

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