Avoid having your email account stolen through fake "Order Information" emails

What kind of email is "Order Information"?

After inspecting the "Order Information" email, we determined that it is spam. This fake letter is presented as a notification concerning an order that will soon be shipped. This spam mail operates as a phishing scam and targets email account log-in credentials.

"Order Information" email scam overview

The scam email with the subject "Your Order Infomation" (may vary) states that the recipient's order will be shipped to the provided address and predicts the delivery date. The letter states that a tracking link will be sent soon.

When we clicked the link for more information, we were redirected to a phishing website. This page mimics the design of the recipient's email account sign-in page. The log-in credentials (i.e., email address and corresponding password) entered into this fake website will be disclosed to the scammers behind this spam campaign.

In addition to stealing the email account, the cyber criminals can hijack the content registered through it. Communication-centered accounts (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) can be used by scammers to ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, or proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links – under the guise of the genuine owners.

Furthermore, finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and/or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting emails like "Order Information" – users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already entered your log-in credential into a phishing site – we strongly recommend changing the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contacting their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Order Information" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's order will be shipped soon.
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.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Mail Delivery Failed", "Validate Your Wallet", and "Dormant Account" are merely a few examples of phishing emails that we have inspected recently.

This mail can target a wide variety of information, ranging from usernames/passwords to personally identifiable details. These letters can be variously disguised, even as messages from genuine companies, service providers, institutions, organizations, authorities, or other entities. In addition to facilitating scams, deceptive emails are used to spread malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.).

Due to how widespread spam mail is – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be in various formats, e.g., PDF and Microsoft Office documents, archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

When an infectious file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the malware download/installation process is triggered. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise against opening attachments and links found in suspicious/irrelevant emails and messages, as they can be malicious and cause infections. It is essential to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

However, malware is distributed using various techniques. Therefore, we also recommend downloading only from official and verified channels. It is just as important to activate and update software using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal program activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.

Additionally, it is crucial to be careful while browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content typically appears innocuous.

We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated is paramount to device integrity and user safety. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats/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 "Order Information" spam email letter:

Subject: Your Order Infomation

********, we've got your order! Your order number is #B3BAF42B

Your order will be shipped to: your Address,   Change Address

You can expect delivery by Wednesday December 21st.

And you can view your order Here  .

We'll email your tracking link to you as soon as your package ships, and we're here to help with anything you need in the meantime.

- Mallory

 

We hope you'll love your Order!

How was your online shopping experience with ?

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Order Information" spam campaign:

Another example of an email from "Order Information" spam campaign, this time not only promoting a phishing site but also spreading Agent Tesla malware via attached archive:

Text presented within:

Subject: confirmation of goods address and payment

 

Goodday,
-, we've got your order! Your order number is placed in your email address also added to they attachment

Your order will be shipped to: your Address,  Change Address
You can expect delivery by June 21st. And you can view your order. Here We'll email your tracking link to you as soon as your package ships, and we're here to help with anything you need in the meantime. - Mallory with also a remittance of 56,000.00 USD is yet to be revised to your bank account,view in they attach for proper check and reply us,so that we  can proceed with they shipment and payment as well........ were soo sorry for they inconvinences...

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Quick menu:

• What is "Order Information" 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?

Spam emails are not personal, and thousands of users receive identical messages.

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

If you have disclosed log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you have provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the corresponding authorities without delay.

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

No, devices are only infected when malicious attachments or links present in spam mail are opened.

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 – your device was infected. However, documents (.xls, .doc, etc.) might need extra actions (e.g., enabling macro commands) to start downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. It must be stressed that running a complete system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.

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