How to spot scams like "Contract Document Email Scam"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is kind of email is "Contract Document"?
We have examined this email and concluded that it is sent by scammers who aim to trick recipients into providing sensitive information on a phishing website. It is disguised as a letter regarding some contract document shared with recipients. This email should be marked as spam and deleted.
More about the "Contract Document" scam email
This email claims that a new contract document has been shared with you on SharePoint storage. It includes a hyperlink ("View [recipient's email address] Document" designed to open a phishing page. During our examination, the provided website was down.
Phishing websites promoted via scam emails like this one are used to steal mostly usernames and passwords (or other login information). In other cases, they request other personal information (e.g., credit card details, names, surnames, addresses, social security numbers, etc.).
Scammers use the obtained login information to hijack online accounts (e.g., email, social media, and other accounts). Depending on the type of hijacked accounts, they can be used to extract money from other people, deliver malware, send spam, steal identities, make fraudulent purchases and transactions, and more.
| Name | Contract Document Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | A new contract document has been shared with you on SharePoint storage |
| 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
The purpose of phishing emails is to trick recipients into providing personal information. Scammers use them mostly for financial gain (to steal information that could be sold to third parties or monetized in other ways). Usually, scammers behind phishing emails pretend to be legitimate companies, organizations, or other entities.
Examples of similar emails are "Standard Bank Email Scam", "You Have Blocked Emails Created Scam", and "Deposit Into Your Bitcoin Portfolio Email Scam". Threat actors also use emails to deliver malicious software.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Recipients infect computers after opening malicious links or attachments (it is safe to open emails without opening their contents). Most users infect computers via malicious MS Office, PDF documents, JavaScript files, executables, archives (e.g., ZIP or RAR files), or ISO files.
It is important to mention that MS Office documents infect computers after enabling macros commands. MS Office 2010 and newer versions include the "Protected View" mode that prevents malicious documents from infecting computers.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Examine emails containing attachments or links. Note that irrelevant emails sent from unknown addresses (or suspicious in other ways) are likely to contain malicious files or links. Download applications and files from official pages and stores only. Avoid downloads from other sources (e.g., shady pages, third-party downloaders, P2P networks, etc.).
Do not trust ads on dubious web pages. Keep the operating system and installed programs updated. Use reputed antivirus software.
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 "Contract Document" email letter:
Subject: A New Contract Document Has Been Shared For Your Review 19/12/2022
Contract Document
SHARE-FILE.DOC
A new contract documents has been shared with you on pcrisk.com Sharepoint Storage.
on management portal for your review
View xxx@pcrisk.com Document
Another example of an email from "Contract Document" spam campaign:
Text presented within:
Subject: Message: Review the contract document for signature and approval.
A new contract document has been shared from OneDrive storage.
Message: Review the contract document for signature and approval.
Review Documents
Screenshot of the promoted phishing site:
Another example of an email from "Contract Document" spam campaign:
Text presented within:
Subject: Please sign this document(s) using DocuSign Contract-40274
Dear -
A new contract document has been shared with you on Microsoft Sharepoint.
Get Your Files
Screenshot of the promoted phishing site:
Yet another example of an email from "Contract Document" spam campaign:
Text presented within:
Subject: A new contract document has been shared with you on default Sharepoint
Contract DocumentsSHAREPOINT
A new contract document has been shared with you - on Sharepoint Storage.
Message: Please study Documents properly for contract meeting presentation
View "-" Documents
Screenshot of the promoted phishing site:
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Quick menu:
- What is Contract Document phishing email?
- 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?
Scammers sent the same email to all recipients. As a rule, emails of this kind are non-targeted (they are not personal).
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have entered your login information on a phishing website, change your passwords as soon as possible. In other cases, contact the corresponding authorities.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
Whether the computer is infected depends on the file that was opened. For instance, malicious MS Office documents cannot infect computers until macros commands are enabled. However, malicious executables usually inject malware right after opening them.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Emails cannot infect computers. Recipients infect computers via malicious links or files in emails.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner can detect almost all known malware. It will run a system scan and eliminate detected malware. If a computer is infected with high-end malware, it is required to run a full system scan to remove it. Malware of this kind usually hides deep in the operating system.
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