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Do not donate via fake UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) emails

Also Known As: UNHCR spam email
Damage level: Medium

What is the "UNHCR" scam email?

After inspecting this "UNHCR" email, our researchers determined that it is fake. The letter is presented as a donation campaign held by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). It must be emphasized that this email is fake and in no way associated with the actual UNHCR. This scam uses the war in Ukraine as a backdrop to trick recipients into transferring funds to the cyber criminals.

We strongly advise using only official channels to make any donations. Since those endorsed via random emails, SMSes, or other messages - are likely to be fraudulent. Even if a source appears legitimate, we urge you not to use donation channels promoted through unsolicited mail.

UNHCR email spam campaign

"UNHCR" email scam overview

The "UNHCR" scam email with the subject "GO FUND UKRAINE" (may vary) encourages recipients to donate to the campaign in order to support Ukraine and aid refugees fleeing the country. In addition to UNHCR, the spam letter also mentions Act for Peace - a non-profit organization (likewise unassociated with this scam).

Scammers often incorporate the names, logotypes, and similar content linked to genuine entities. This is done to create a sense of legitimacy and ensure that basic research attempts would lead to the mimicked entity.

The "UNHCR" email requests the "donations" to be made in either Bitcoin or Ethereum cryptocurrencies. This is an example of real news being repurposed for a scam, i.e., the fact that the Ukrainian government has indeed started accepting cryptocurrency donations.

In summary, donating to the cyptowallets listed in this email will transfer the funds to the cyber criminals instead of the intended recipients. We highly recommend researching donation options and using only official and verified channels.

If you have already transferred cryptocurrency to this or a similar scam - the funds are most likely lost. Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible due to being virtually impossible to trace.

Threat Summary:
Name UNHCR spam email
Threat Type Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Disguise UNHCR donation campaign to support Ukraine
Cyber Criminal Cryptowallet Addresses bc1qcr502yw08zxk94axx8l8n8m39utn4vsaw6n2mc (Bitcoin), 0xB8835270F27Ef6aAAF37C543DCB58E72Cb80f110 (Ethereum)
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)

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Spam campaigns in general

The "UNHCR" scam email is not the only instance that we have detected attempts at using the war in Ukraine to generate revenue; we have also written about the "Army of Ukraine need your support" and "UN Ukraine Humanitarian Organization" spam campaigns.

In fact, employing real local or World events is standard in scams. This mail can be used for a wide variety of purposes. The most common uses include phishing - to obtain vulnerable information (e.g., personally identifiable details, online account usernames/passwords, credit card numbers, etc.) and malware proliferation (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.).

We have analyzed thousands of spam emails; "Zoho Email Scam", "Blockchain.com Email Scam", "Your Password Expires Today", and "DHL Shipment Details" are just some examples of the latest ones.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails can contain malicious files as attachments or links (leading to sites that stealthily download/install malware or lure users into doing so themselves). Infectious files can be Microsoft Office and PDF documents, executables, archives, JavaScript, etc. Upon being opened, such a file triggers the infection process.

For example, if a virulent MS Office document is opened in Microsoft Office versions released before 2010 - it immediately executes its malicious macro commands. Newer versions have "Protected View" that prevents automatic macro execution, and users can only manually enable them (i.e., allow editing/content). It is noteworthy that infectious documents commonly contain deceptive messages to trick users into enabling macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We advise against opening/clicking the attachments and links found in suspicious/irrelevant emails and messages, as they can contain malware. Another recommendation is using Microsoft Office versions released after 2010.

Aside from spam mail, malicious software is 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, we also advise downloading only from official and trustworthy sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated with tools provided by legitimate developers.

We must emphasize the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and updated. Security software must be used to run 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 fake "UNHCR" email letter:

Subject: GO FUND UKRAINE

 

Greetings Sir/Madam


Due to the current suituation in Eastern Europe Ukraine.
A donation campaign has been launched to support Ukraine and also help refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine
The campaign is organized by the humanitarian organization Act for Peace, and hoping to raise ​$9,000,000​
to support refugees in the region from the Escalation of the situation and the MILITARY OFFENSIVE
Which has caused Lost of lives affecting Men, women and children.


Stand with the people of Ukraine


Now accepting cryptocurrency Donations.


Bitcoin, bc1qcr502yw08zxk94axx8l8n8m39utn4vsaw6n2mc


Ethereum, 0xB8835270F27Ef6aAAF37C543DCB58E72Cb80f110


United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees


Case Postale 2500


CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt Suisse

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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?

Spam emails are not personal; thousands of users receive the same letter.

I have sent cryptocurrency to the address(es) presented in this email, can I get my money back?

Most likely, no. Cryptocurrency transactions are practically untraceable, which also makes them irreversible.

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 potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if you have provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, credit 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, infection processes are only triggered when the attachments or links present in spam emails - 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 (.exe, .run, etc.) - most likely, yes. However, you might have avoided jumpstarting any infection processes if it was a document. These formats (.pdf, .doc, .xls, etc.) can require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, etc.) to start downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan systems, detect and eliminate almost all known malware infections. It must be emphasized that sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems - therefore, running a complete system scan is essential.

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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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