Avoid losing your email account via fake "ShareFile - Invoice Copy" emails

What kind of email is "ShareFile - Invoice Copy"?

After our review of the "ShareFile - Invoice Copy" email, it became clear that this is a phishing scam. This spam letter targets email account log-in credentials (i.e., passwords) through an imitator website.

"ShareFile - Invoice Copy" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "SOA - Invoice copy on 3/19/2024 3:46:35 p.m." (may vary) states that an invoice was sent to the recipient via ShareFile. The PDF document can be reviewed by clicking the "OPEN INVOICE" button.

It must be stressed that this information is false, and this email is not associated with the ShareFile platform or any other legitimate products/services.

When we investigated the phishing site promoted by this letter, we found that it imitates the recipient's email sign-in page. Log-in credentials typed into this webpage are recorded and sent to scammers. The risk exceeds the loss of a single account. Emails are commonly used to register other accounts, platforms, and services; hence, cyber criminals may be able to gain access to this linked content.

To expand upon how this may be abused, scammers can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social media, messengers, chats, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files.

Hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

Furthermore, compromising/confidential content found on data storage or similar platforms could be used for blackmail or other malicious purposes.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "ShareFile - Invoice Copy" – users may experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing website – change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"ShareFile - Invoice Copy" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient has been sent an invoice.
Disguise	ShareFile
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

"Email Failed To Sync", "Account Shutdown Notification", and "Mailbox Flagged For Unusual-Activities" are merely a couple examples of phishing emails we have inspected recently.

These campaigns primarily target the log-in credentials of various accounts, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information. Other scams are promoted through spam as well, and it is used to proliferate malware.

Due to how widespread spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we highly recommend caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to spread malware. These emails/messages can include infectious files as attachments or download links. The files come in various formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Upon being opened, a virulent file initiates the malware download/installation chain. Some formats can require additional actions to jumpstart these processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We advise against opening attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be malicious. We recommend using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise vigilance when browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous.

Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and trustworthy channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters may contain malware.

It is paramount to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. This software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected 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 "ShareFile - Invoice Copy" spam email letter:

Subject: SOA - Invoice copy on 3/19/2024 3:46:35 p.m.

PDF File
******** ShareFile - Invoice copy. 165.KB

OPEN INVOICE

© 2024

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "ShareFile - Invoice Copy" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "ShareFile - Invoice Copy" 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 even if they include details relevant to the recipients. This information may be obtained by scouring publicly available data or through phishing scams. Cyber criminals distribute these emails in massive campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive (nearly) identical messages.

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

If you have provided your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you've disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, passport scan/photos, 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, opening/reading an email is harmless. 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 extra actions (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded files/links, etc.) to jumpstart malware download/installation processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan devices and eliminate all types of threats. It can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. Note that since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems – running a full system scan is crucial.

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