How to spot scams like "DocuSign - Secure Document Received"

What kind of scam is "DocuSign - Secure Document Received"?

We have inspected the email and discovered that it is fraudulent. It is designed to trick recipients into "signing a document". However, none of the claims in the email are real. The email is used to steal personal information from recipients via a fake website. Such scams are known as phishing.

More about the "DocuSign - Secure Document Received" scam email

This phishing email poses as a legitimate DocuSign message. It claims that the recipient has received a secure document named “ACH-Wire Authorization for Invoice9876545.pdf” and urges the recipient to review and sign the document. The message also states that only the recipient can access the document.

The email includes a "View Document" button (link), which leads to a fake Gmail website designed to steal email account login credentials (email address and password). This information can be exploited to access email accounts and harvest personal information, send phishing emails (or other deceptive messages), or deliver malware to others (e.g., the victim's contacts).

Scammers can also try to access social media, gaming, banking, or other accounts using the stolen login credentials and cause more harm (e.g., steal money or identities). Thus, it is important to examine emails before opening the included links and disclosing personal information.

Similar scam emails in general

Emails of this type are usually crafted to appear legitimate. They seem urgent and important and contain real (or fake) logos and other elements to trick recipients into clicking misleading links and disclosing personal information. Users should avoid interacting with such messages and verify their authenticity through official channels before taking action.

Sometimes, emails of this kind are used to distribute malware. Some examples of phishing emails are "Signed Cloud Document", "Tax Invoice And Contract Document Via WeTransfer", and "Wells Fargo - Important Security Check".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is often spread through deceptive emails that include malicious attachments or links. These attachments can come in various forms, such as executable files, Office or PDF documents, archive files like ZIP or RAR, script files, or disk images (like ISO). The system becomes compromised only when the recipient opens the file or performs an action like enabling macros in an infected document.

Sometimes, a fraudulent email can contain a link to a malicious website that either starts the malware download automatically or tricks the user into doing it. In all scenarios, infection requires the user to interact with the harmful content in some way.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with unexpected or irrelevant emails, especially those from unfamiliar or suspicious senders—avoid clicking on any links or downloading attachments they contain. Download programs from trusted platforms, such as official websites or app stores. Do not trust pop-ups and ads on unreliable websites, and do not allow such sites to send you notifications.

Moreover, keep your operating system and all apps up to date. Use reputable antivirus software and run regular system scans to detect and remove potential threats. Taking these precautions is usually enough to protect computers from malware. 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 "DocuSign - Secure Document Received" email letter:

Subject: ACH Enrollment vendor number #00500598 w-9 forms processed

DocuSign
Secure Document Received
ACH-Wire Authorization for Invoice9876545.pdf

VIEW DOCUMENT
Please review and and sign. Document can only be viewed by ******** .

If you are ready to sign please read through the agreement. All the red boxes are required fields, you will not be able to skip them, the grey fields are optional but encouraged.

Sign-in authentication with recipient email is required to review and electronically sign the pending document. There is no requirement for a paper copy to be produced if completed with DocuSign.
Do Not Share This Email
This email contains a secure link to DocuSign. Please do not share this email or link with others.

About DocuSign
Sign documents electronically in just minutes. It's safe, secure, and legally binding. Whether you're in an office, at home, on-the-go, or even across the globe -- DocuSign provides a professional trusted solution for Digital Transaction Management™.

Questions about the Document?
If you need to modify the document or have questions about the details in the document, please reach out to the sender by emailing them directly.

Stop receiving this email
Report this email or read more about Declining to sign and Managing notifications.

If you are having trouble signing the document, please visit the Help with Signing page on our Support Center.

Phishing website used in this scam:

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is DocuSign - Secure Document Received 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?

Your email address was probably obtained through a data leak, a suspicious website, or another source. Scam emails are often generic and sent in bulk to many recipients at once. In other words, the email you received is not personal or targeted.

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

If scammers have stolen your email account login credentials, change the passwords for any accounts that may be compromised and notify service providers of the corresponding accounts.

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

The probability of malware infiltration depends on the type of the attached file. Infected attachments can cause harm if users open them or perform further actions, like enabling macros in malicious documents.

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

Simply opening an email is not dangerous. The risk occurs when a user clicks on a malicious link or opens an infected attachment.

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

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing most known threats. However, advanced infections may hide deeper within the system, making them harder to identify. For detection and removal, it is strongly advised to run a full system scan.