How to spot scam campaigns like "Adobe - Request For Quotation"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of scam is "Adobe - Request For Quotation"?
After reviewing this email, our team has determined that it is a fraudulent message crafted by scammers with the intention of deceiving recipients into divulging their personal information. The email masquerades as a quotation request but actually contains a link to a phishing page that prompts visitors to enter their login credentials.
More about the "Adobe - Request For Quotation" scam email
This phishing email has the subject line "You have received a document through AdobePDF" and claims to be from Adobe. It requests recipients to view a "Request For Quotation" and provide their best price. The email also includes a link to download a PDF. It includes standard copyright and privacy policy statements typically seen in legitimate emails.
Clicking the "Download PDF" button leads to a phishing page masquerading as a legitimate login site. This page is intentionally designed to mimic the genuine login page of the recipient's email service provider. For example, if the recipient uses Yahoo, the phishing page will display a fake Yahoo login page.
The purpose of this website is to steal email account login credentials (email addresses and passwords). Scammers can exploit stolen email account credentials in various ways. They can illicitly access the victim's email account, allowing them to read personal emails, retrieve sensitive information, and send harmful messages.
Additionally, scammers can employ pilfered credentials to commit identity theft. They may send phishing emails to contacts or engage in fraudulent activities using the victim's identity. Moreover, the compromised email account can serve as a means to compromise other connected online accounts. Scammers can manipulate settings, reset passwords, and conduct unauthorized actions through this gateway.
| Name | Adobe - Request For Quotation Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | You have recieved a document from Adobe |
| Disguise | Letter from Adobe |
| 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 scams in general
Phishing emails typically mimic the appearance and content of legitimate emails from reputable organizations, using logos, branding, and language to deceive recipients. Also, they create a sense of urgency or importance to prompt immediate action, such as clicking on a link or providing personal information.
Additionally, they frequently contain grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or suspicious email addresses, which can serve as red flags for cautious recipients. Examples of phishing emails are "Multiple Unsuccessful Login Attempts", "Email Access Is Set To Expire", and "Anthem Encrypted Message".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
When users receive emails with harmful attachments or links, their computers can be infected with malware. These attachments, like PDFs, ZIP files, executables, ISO files, or Microsoft Office documents, may contain malware that becomes active upon downloading and opening.
It is important to mention that some file types might need additional actions to inject malware. Clicking on links in emails can also lead recipients to compromised websites that initiate the download of malware onto their computers.
How to avoid installation of malware?
In order to maintain your online security, it is important to be cautious when handling email attachments or links from unfamiliar or suspicious email addresses, especially if you weren't expecting such emails. It is crucial to keep your operating system, software, and plugins updated with the latest security patches and updates.
Moreover, it is necessary to regularly update your antivirus software. Additionally, it is recommended to download programs exclusively from trustworthy sources and avoid downloading from P2P networks, questionable websites, or third-party downloaders. It is also essential to exercise vigilance when encountering advertisements, pop-ups, and links on untrustworthy websites.
If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Adobe - Request For Quotation" email letter:
Subject: You have recieved a document through AdobePDF
Adobe
Reciever : -
Kindly view our Request For Quotation and give your best price.
Download PDF
Adobe | Online services | Privacy Policy
Copyright 2023 Adobe Inc. All rights reserved
Screenshot of the phishing page promoted via this email:
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Quick menu:
- What is Adobe - Request For Quotation phishing scam?
- 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 send identical letters to thousands of recipients, relying on the hope that they will trick someone. These spam emails lack any personalization and are sent in bulk.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
In the event that you have shared any account credentials, it is advised to change all passwords. If you have disclosed additional personal information, such as credit card details or ID card information, it is important to contact the relevant authorities without delay.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
If the file was an executable, it is highly likely that it could have caused an infection. However, if it was a document in formats like .pdf or .doc, there is a possibility that you might have avoided the infection, as simply opening the document may not always be sufficient for malware to compromise the system.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Simply opening an email by itself is generally harmless. The risk of system infection arises when a recipient clicks on links within emails or opens attached files, as these actions can potentially introduce malware or initiate malicious activities.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner has the capability to remove nearly all recognized malware infections. However, it is important to note that sophisticated malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. Consequently, performing a comprehensive system scan is essential to ensure thorough detection and removal.
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