How to identify scams like "World Tourism Organization" fake email

What is "World Tourism Organization" scam?

We reviewed the email and found that it is crafted to deceive recipients into thinking they are entitled to receive a large sum of money. These types of fraudulent emails are typically scams aimed at stealing personal information and (or) funds from unsuspecting recipients and should be ignored.

More about the "World Tourism Organization" scam email

This scam is disguised as a final notice regarding an alleged pending payment of €4.5 million, supposedly awarded by the World Tourism Organization and the Spanish Ministerio de Tourismo. It states that the recipient's email address was randomly selected from a database and provides fake details, such as a reference number, ticket number, and serial number, to appear legitimate.

The email instructs the recipient to register for the claim before the specified data and directs them to contact a foreign service manager, Bruno Michael, at AXA SEGUROS S.A., via phone or email. It also states that the custodian firm will take 5% of the winnings as a commission.

The main goal of the email is to trick the recipient into sharing personal information like their name, surname, and financial details and (or) deceive them into paying fees disguised as processing, administration, service, or other charges. Overall, this is a scam email and whoever receives it should not respond to it.

Similar scam emails in general

Emails of this type often promise large sums of money in exchange for providing personal information or paying "fees". They often include fake credentials or other details to appear legitimate. These messages should be ignored and deleted, as responding can lead to identity theft or financial loss.

Some examples of similar scams are "Big Lotto Email Scam", "Google Anniversary Award Email Scam", and "European Data Protection Supervisor Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

One of the common tactics used by cybercriminals is to spread malware by attacking malicious .exe files, Office documents, PDFs, ZIP or RAR archives, script files, ISO images, or other infected files to their emails. However, the infection does not begin until the recipient interacts with these files.

Their emails may also contain links that lead to suspicious websites. Once visited, these sites can either start downloading malware automatically or trick users into downloading harmful files or programs by disguising them as something legitimate.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with unexpected emails, especially those from unknown senders, and avoid opening any attachments or clicking links they contain. For downloads, rely only on official websites or trusted app stores. Avoid clicking on pop-ups, ads, or suspicious links on questionable and unofficial websites.

Regularly update the operating system and all installed software, and scan your computer using reputable antivirus software. 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 "World Tourism Organization" email letter:

Subject: Title Reminder

05/25/2025

Attention: Titleholdern

We remind you once again of your pending €4.5m published on the 27th December 2024 by World Tourism Organization/Spanish Ministerio de Tourismo. Your email address was randomly selected from a database as a dependent participant among others, attached to file numbers: ESP/101EU.

This is a final reminder and you are mandated to register for claim before the 30th of August 2025.

Your file reference number: ESP-101EU

Ticket number: 721-524-27756, Bonus 45

Serial number: 521362013

You are to Contact your assigned agency below with your references for the processing and remittance of your funds.

Foreign Service Manager, AXA SEGUROS S.A.
BRUNO MICHAEL

Tel: +34-672 586 460

Email: AXA.SEGURO@GMX.COM

Or: w.nunez@consultant-es.net

Note that 5% will go to the custodian firm (AXA SEGUROS S.A) as commission for processing and acting on your behalf until you receive your funds.

Congratulations once more from all of us.

Sincerely,

Don Antony Santiago

Treasury Secretary,
Online Services E.U QTRS
PO Box 43050
Olympia, WA 98504-3050
Copyright© 2022-2025
All rights reserved

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Quick menu:

• What is World Tourism Organization scam?
• 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?

You likely received a scam email because your address was either exposed in a data breach or harvested by scammers through other channels. These messages are typically not personalized, as scammers tend to send the same message to many recipients.

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

If you have disclosed your ID or credit card details, contact your bank or the relevant authorities and inform them about the scam.

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

Opening an executable file (.exe) can launch malware right away. However, other files, like documents (.pdf or .doc), usually cannot cause harm unless users perform additional steps. Thus, whether your computer is infected depends on the file type and how it was interacted with.

I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?

Crypto transactions are nearly impossible to trace, which means it is unlikely that you will be able to recover lost funds.

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

Opening an email is usually harmless. Malware can only infiltrate systems after users open the included links or files.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known types of malware. However, advanced threats often embed themselves deep within the system, so performing a full system scan is essential to ensure removal.