Do not trust fake "Moldindconbank" emails claiming your card was suspended
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Moldindconbank"?
After inspecting this "Moldindconbank" email, we determined that it is fake. This letter targets clients of the Moldindconbank Moldovan bank. The spam email states that the recipient's card has been suspended due to suspicious activity. To rectify this issue, the recipient is to conclude a verification process via a phishing website.
It must be stressed that all these claims are false, and this email is in no way associated with the actual Moldindconbank.
"Moldindconbank" email scam overview
According to a rough translation, the spam email with the subject "Urgent: Activități suspecte asociate cu un card în contul dvs" (may vary) claims that suspicious activity has been detected on the recipient's card, which is linked to their Moldindconbank account. The card was suspended for safety reasons. The recipient is instructed to follow the link in the email and verify their identity within 24 hours.
As mentioned in the introduction, all these claims are fake, and they are not associated with the real Moldindconbank.
After we pressed "Accesați Internet Banking", we were redirected to a phishing website masquerading as the Moldindconbank sign-in page. This site is designed to record the information entered into it. Hence, by providing their log-in credentials (usernames/passwords) to this website – users can have their accounts stolen.
Cyber criminals can then use the unauthorized access to perform monetary transactions, make online purchases, and carry out other fraudulent activities.
To summarize, victims of spam mail of this kind can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials to scammers – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support.
| Name | "Moldindconbank" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Card associated with the recipient's Moldindconbank account has been suspended due to suspicious activity. |
| Disguise | Moldindconbank |
| Related Domains | soie-zen[.]com |
| Detection Names (soie-zen[.]com) | Combo Cleaner (Malware), CRDF (Malicious), CyRadar (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Malware), Sophos (Malware), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (soie-zen[.]com) | 20.254.66.105 |
| 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. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
We have investigated thousands of spam emails; "Webmail Password Center", "Payment List By The Board Of Directors", "Apple Mobile Promo Draw", and "American Express Security Team" are just a few examples of phishing letters we have examined recently.
Various scams are facilitated through spam mail, but it is also used to distribute malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, etc.). These emails wear a wide variety of disguises, including as messages from legitimate companies, service providers, institutions, organizations, and other entities.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
The use of spam campaigns in malware distribution is common. Deceptive emails/messages can contain malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection chain is initiated. To elaborate, Microsoft Office files infect systems by executing malicious macro commands, while virulent OneNote documents need users to click on embedded content (e.g., files, links, etc.).
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly recommend treating incoming emails and other messages with caution. Attachments or links found in suspicious mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious and cause infections. It is important to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.
However, malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant while browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated by using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.
It is paramount to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security software must 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 "Moldindconbank" spam email letter:
Subject: Urgent: Activități suspecte asociate cu un card în contul dvs
Moldindconbank
Dragă client,
Sistemele noastre de securitate au detectat activități suspecte asociate cu un card în contul dvs. Pentru a vă proteja securitatea financiară, am suspendat utilizarea acestui card.
Pentru a rezolva rapid această problemă, vă rugăm să vă verificați identitatea prin intermediul platformei noastre online securizate în următoarele 24 de ore. Vă rugăm să vizitați linkul de mai jos:
Accesați Internet Banking
Odată ce accesați linkul, veți fi ghidat prin procesul de verificare a identității. Asigurați-vă că furnizați informații exacte și actualizate pentru a finaliza cu succes verificarea.
Dacă aveți întrebări sau aveți nevoie de asistență suplimentară, vă rugăm să nu ezitați să contactați echipa noastră de asistență pentru clienți,
Detaliile de contact sunt următoarele: [Contact pentru asistență clienți]. Vă vom ajuta în termen de [orele și datele de lucru].
Vă mulțumim pentru cooperarea dumneavoastră în această chestiune. Luăm foarte în serios securitatea contului dvs. și protejăm interesele dvs.
Iti doresc multa sanatate si toate cele bune.
BC Moldindconbank S.A.
BC "Moldindconbank" S.A., ©2023
Screenshot of the fake Moldindconbank website promoted by this spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Moldindconbank" 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, although, in some instances, they may include information relevant to the recipient. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in massive campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive identical letters.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have provided log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, just reading an email will not trigger any malware download/installation processes. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links 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 – your device was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats may require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to start downloading/installing malware.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan systems and eliminate threats. It is capable of removing practically all known malware infections. Note that since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems – performing a complete system scan is crucial.
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