How to spot scam campaigns like "American Express - Account Validation Required"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "American Express - Account Validation Required"?
Upon examination, it has been determined that the purpose of this email is to lure recipients into opening the attached file and entering personal information. This email is disguised as a letter from American Express - a legitimate bank holding company. Emails of this type are known as phishing emails.
More about the "American Express - Account Validation Required" scam email
The phishing email claims to be from American Express. It informs recipients about a temporary account suspension due to recent activities for security reasons. The email prompts recipients to verify and update their account ownership, assuring them that a verification document has been securely attached using encryption technology.
The email states that the American Express account will be restored after verification. The file attached to this email ("American Express_Secure Message.html") leads to a fake login form. This form is designed to look like a legitimate American Express login page, but it is actually a fraudulent replica.
When users enter their login credentials (user ID and password) on this fake form, the scammers capture and record this sensitive information. With the stolen login credentials, the scammers may gain unauthorized access to the victim's genuine American Express account.
They may view account details, make unauthorized transactions, change contact information, and potentially engage in identity theft or further fraudulent activities using the victim's personal and financial information. To protect themselves from such scams, recipients should exercise caution when receiving unsolicited emails, especially those requesting personal or financial information.
| Name | American Express - Account Validation Required Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | American Express account is temporary suspended |
| Attached File | American Express_Secure Message.html (its name may vary) |
| Detection Names (Attachment) | Avast (Other:SNH-gen [Phish]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.HTML.Phishing.CCQ), ESET-NOD32 (HTML/Phishing.AmericanExpress.F), Ikarus (Phishing.HTML.Doc), Microsoft (Trojan:Win32/PhishLeonem), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Disguise | Letter from American Express |
| 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
Usually, emails of this kind use urgent and alarming language, such as claiming an immediate account suspension or a security breach, to create a sense of urgency and anxiety in the recipient. Scammers impersonate reputable organizations or service providers, such as banks, payment processors, or well-known companies.
They may also use logos and email addresses that resemble legitimate entities to deceive recipients. Phishing emails commonly request sensitive personal or financial information, such as login credentials, Social Security numbers, credit card details, or account verification data. They may ask recipients to click links or download attachments to provide this information.
It is important to note that files or links in such emails can be malicious (lead to computer infections). More examples of similar emails are "Your Messages Couldn't Be Delivered", "You Have Received An Encrypted Document", and "We Are Interested In Your Company Products".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Infections can be triggered when users open email attachments that contain malware. These attachments may appear harmless but can unleash malicious software when accessed. For instance, a seemingly innocuous document or PDF file may carry hidden malware.
Some emails prompt recipients to enable macros in attached documents, typically under the guise of needing macros for document functionality. However, enabling macros can activate hidden malicious scripts that infect the system.
Clicking on malicious links within emails is another common vector for infection. These links may lead users to harmful websites. Once on these websites, malware can be introduced through various means, including drive-by downloads (where malware is automatically downloaded without user consent) or social engineering tactics that trick users into downloading malicious software.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Exercise caution when opening email attachments, avoid enabling macros unless the source is trusted, and refrain from clicking on suspicious or unsolicited links within emails. Avoid suspicious websites and refrain from downloading software from untrusted sources. Do not trust ads and links on shady sites, and do not allow such pages to show notifications.
Download files and programs from reliable sources like official websites and app stores. Keep your operating system and software applications up to date. Install reputable antivirus and anti-malware software to detect and remove threats.
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 "American Express - Account Validation Required" email letter:
Subject: Important Information About Your Card Membership
Important Information About Your Card Membership on Oct 25, 2022
ACCOUNT ENDING: -00XXXDear USER **********
Account Validation RequiredImportant Information About Your Card Membership
Due to recent activities on your account, we've placed a temporary suspension on your account for security reasons. You're required to verify and update your account ownership.
For your protection, Your verification document has been attached to your email securely by American Express using encryption technology.
Your American Express account will be restored immediately after verification.Thank you for your Card Membership,
American Express Customer Care
Phishing form presented in the attached file ("American Express_Secure Message.html"):
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Quick menu:
- What is American Express - Account Validation Required phishing campaign?
- 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 frequently dispatch emails to a large volume of email addresses, with the expectation that a portion of the recipients will be deceived by the scheme. These phishing endeavors typically lack personalization and are disseminated to a broad audience.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have shared your login credentials, it is essential to change the passwords for the impacted accounts. Also, contact your bank or credit card company without delay.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to this email, is my computer infected?
No, the file attached to this email is not intended to compromise computer security. Nevertheless, it is important to note that email attachments can initiate infections.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
If you have read an email but refrained from opening the attachment, your computer remains uninfected. Typically, it is the act of opening an attachment (or link) that can potentially trigger malware execution.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner is capable of effectively detecting and removing a wide range of malware infections. It is crucial to understand that sophisticated malware can conceal itself deeply within the system. This underscores the importance of conducting a comprehensive system scan to detect and remove all potential threats.
Outstanding!
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