How to identify scam emails like the "TFBank Email Scam"

What is the fake email from "TFBank"?

We have inspected this email and learned that its purpose is to trick recipients into opening a fake website and providing personal information. Emails of this type are classified as phishing emails. The email described in our review below is disguised as a notification from the TFBank an activation of payment cards.

More about the "TFBank" scam email

This email is written in German. It claims that recipients must activate a new security system for their payment cards by a specific date, or their cards will be blocked. The email also contains a link (button) labeled "Aktivieren Sie meine Karte" ("Activate my card"). During our examination, the page promoted via this email was down.

However, it seems that the link included in this phishing email is supposed to open a fake login website designed to steal user IDs, passwords, or other login credentials. Typically, once entered, this data is captured by the perpetrators behind the phishing scheme.

Once cybercriminals obtain banking login credentials, they may access the victim's account and initiate unauthorized transactions. Also, providing banking login credentials compromises the privacy of the victim's financial information. This information may be used to perpetrate further scams or sold on the dark web, exposing the victim to additional risks and exploitation.

Thus, it is important not to trust suspicious emails or open links presented in them. It is also worth noting that the bank (TFBank) mentioned in this scam email is a digital bank offering consumer banking services and e-commerce solutions, and it has nothing to do with the scam email described in our article.

Threat Summary:

Name	TFBank Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipients must activate a new security system for their payment cards
Disguise	Letter from TFBank
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.
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Conclusion

The consequences of falling victim to scams like the fake email from TFBank can include financial loss, identity theft, fraudulent activities, and privacy breaches. Thus, it imperative for individuals to be careful and to protect their sensitive information.

Users should exercise caution when sharing personal data online and verifying the legitimacy of requests for login credentials. More examples of similar scam emails are "Wells Fargo - Direct Deposit", "Specification Of Products", and "New Messages Notification". It is important to note that deceptive emails can employed to deliver malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

When deceitful emails are crafted to trick users into unwittingly downloading malware onto their devices, they include malicious links or attachments. Clicking on these links may lead recipients to websites designed to initiate drive-by downloads or convince them to download malicious files or applications.

Opening attached files can result in immediate infection or trigger malware infiltration upon further interaction. For instance, executable files can inject malware upon opening, but the risk posed by MS Word documents and archive files differs.

MS Word documents, unless accessed with older versions of MS Office, typically do not infect computers automatically. Instead, they rely on users enabling macro commands. Archive files do not immediately compromise systems, either. Malware cannot compromise systems until the contents of such files are extracted and executed.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Keep your operating system and software up to date with the latest security patches. Finally, bolster your protection by utilizing reputable antivirus or anti-malware software and conducting regular system scans to detect and remove potential threats. If you receive unexpected or irrelevant emails from unknown senders, avoid opening any attachments or clicking on links.

Use official pages and app stores when downloading software and files. Avoid interacting with advertisements, pop-ups, or buttons on dubious websites, and do not agree to receive notifications from suspicious 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 fake "TFBank" email letter (written in German):

Subject: Dringende Aktion erforderlich: Aktualisierung Ihrer Zahlungskart

TFBank

Wir möchten Sie darüber informieren, dass Sie ab dem 19.05.2024 Ihre Zahlungskarte nur noch nutzen können, wenn Sie ein neues System aktivieren, das mehr Sicherheit bei Ihren Aktivitäten garantiert.

Wichtige Schritte zur Aktivierung: 5454

- Führen Sie das erforderliche Sicherheitsupdate durch.
- Überprüfen Sie Ihre Daten gemäß den Anweisungen.

Wenn die erforderliche Aktion nicht innerhalb der angegebenen Frist durchgeführt wird, wird Ihre Zahlungskarte gesperrt. In diesem Fall können Sie keine weiteren Transaktionen mehr durchführen und auch kein Bargeld an den Geldautomaten unserer Bankfilialen abheben.

Aktivieren Sie meine Karte

Wir bitten um Ihr Verständnis und danken Ihnen für Ihre Kooperation, um die Sicherheit Ihrer finanziellen Aktivitäten zu gewährleisten.
 
© 2024 TFBANK , Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

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Quick menu:

• What is TFBank 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?

Phishing emails are typically sent out in large volumes to numerous email addresses without specific targeting. They rely on the likelihood of someone falling for the scam.

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

Contact your bank immediately, change your passwords, monitor your account for suspicious activity, and report the scam.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to and email, is my computer infected?

The likelihood of malware infiltration depends on the type of the opened file. Executable files carry a much higher risk, while document files such as PDFs or Word documents cannot inject malware unless users take additional actions, like enabling macros commands.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Malware can infiltrate systems through malicious attachments or links, so simply reading emails is generally safe.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing malware, covering a wide range of known threats. However, it is essential to note that some sophisticated malware may hide deeply within the operating system. In such instances, conducting a full system scan becomes necessary to effectively locate and eliminate the malware.

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