How to identify scam messages like "MT103 Payment Advice"

What kind of scam is "MT103 Payment Advice"?

We have inspected the email and found that it is a scam email. It masquerades as a credit notice to trick recipients into opening a fake web page and disclosing personal information. These types of scams are known as phishing attempts. Recipients should ignore such emails to avoid potential issues.

More about the "MT103 Payment Advice" scam email

This scam email pretends to be a legitimate payment notification, claiming to include an MT103 remittance copy for a wire transfer made to the recipient's company. It includes fake details, such as the sending bank (CitiBank N.A.), transaction reference numbers, and payment method (MT103 Wire Transfer) to deceive the recipient.

The email encourages the recipient to view the supposed remittance copy by clicking on a link labeled "View MT103 Remittance Copy Here." Clicking this link opens a fake login form (with a blurred document in the background) that says the recipient's password is required to view this type of encrypted PDF file.

This fake form is used to steal login credentials, which can be used to access online accounts (e.g., email, or social media). Depending on the accessed account type, scammers may steal more personal information (e.g., credit card details or personally identifiable information), send scam emails or other fraudulent messages, deliver malware, steal identities, and more.

Also, scammers might sell the stolen information to third parties. Therefore, it is highly advisable not to trust suspicious emails, especially those containing links or attachments, to avoid monetary loss, identity theft, malware attacks, or other threats.

Similar scam emails in general

Emails of this type often impersonate legitimate institutions, organizations, or other entities. They typically include fraudulent links or attachments intended to trick recipients into providing personal information to scammers. Sometimes, such emails can lead to computer infections. Overall, it is important to be careful with questionable emails and avoid clicking links or files found in them.

More examples of scam emails are "Global Development & Financial Support Email Scam", "Mailbox Capacity Reduced Email Scam", and "Reviewing Account To Improve Server Effectiveness And Security".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

When threat actors use email as a delivery method for malware, they attach infected executables, compressed archives, documents (e.g., MS Office or PDF files), ISO files, scripts, or other files. When these files are opened (or additional interactions are made), they can trigger the download or execution of malware.

In other cases, emails can contain misleading links that lead to malicious websites designed to automatically download malware or trick users into running it manually. These attacks are only effective if users are deceived into engaging with the attachments or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious when handling emails that seem irrelevant or unexpected. Avoid opening attachments or clicking on links in these messages. Only download software from trusted sources, such as official websites or reputable app stores. Regularly update the operating system and applications. Use a reliable security tool.

Do not interact with pop-ups, ads, or suspicious links on suspicious sites, and decline notification requests from dubious 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 "MT103 Payment Advice" email letter:

MT103 Payment Advice

As requested by our client, please find the credit notice made to your company below.
View MT103 Remittance Copy Here

Swift Input: FIN 103 - Single Customer Credit Transfer

Sending Bank: CITIUS33XXX (CITIBANK N.A.)
Sender's Reference: DBT-33-028932
Bank Operation Code: CRED

Payment Details:

Date: 28/04/2025, 11:47:38 AM
Method: MT103 Wire Transfer
Currency: USD

Phishing web page used in this scam:

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is MT103 Payment Advice 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?

It is likely that scammers obtained your email address through a data breach, a deceptive site, or a similar way. Typically, they send the same scam email to all recipients. In other words, these emails are not targeted or personalized.

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

Change the compromised passwords as soon as possible. If some accounts cannot be accessed, notify the service provider about the situation.

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

Malicious attachments can infect computers after opening or taking additional actions. Not all files can cause immediate infection. Thus, whether your computer is infected depends on the type of file that was opened.

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

Reading/opening emails is safe. Malware cannot infiltrate systems unless files or links in fraudulent emails are opened.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. However, it is important to note that advanced malware often hides deep within the system. Therefore, performing a full system scan is essential for detecting and removing hidden threats.