How to spot fake messages like "GreenWave Empowerment Fund"

What kind of scam is "GreenWave Empowerment Fund"?

Our team has examined the email and concluded that it is fraudulent. The scammers behind it aim to trick recipients into believing that they can receive money. Recipients should know how to spot fake emails like this one to avoid falling for them. If this or a similar email gets received, it should be ignored and deleted.

More about the "GreenWave Empowerment Fund" scam email

This scam email claims that the recipient has been selected for a funding opportunity from the GreenWave Empowerment Fund. It states that the organization was identified as a strong candidate for a 2025 philanthropic initiative, supposedly with help from well-known data and research firms.

The email encourages the recipient to contact a "Grants Team" via the provided email address to proceed. The true purpose is likely to trick the recipient into sharing sensitive information or falling for a financial scam.

Typically, scammers behind such emails request sensitive information such as personal details, banking credentials, and (or) an upfront "processing", "administration", "application", or another fee. Falling for such scams can result in issues like identity theft, monetary loss, account hijacking, or other consequences.

Thus, it is important not to respond to such emails and to always ensure an email is legitimate before taking action (e.g., replying or opening files and links).

Similar scam emails in general

These scam emails are designed to mislead recipients by pretending to offer something valuable, such as funding or rewards. They often mention legitimate companies, organizations, or other entities, or use other tactics to appear legitimate. In most cases, scammers use them to steal money and (or) information.

Examples of similar emails are "Urgent Investment Arrangement Email Scam", "Humanitarian Aid And Compensation Email Scam", and "Australia Lottery Email Scam". It is also worth noting that fraudulent emails can be used to distribute malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals can trick users into infecting devices by placing malware inside email attachments or using fraudulent links. The files may appear harmless, like documents, compressed files (e.g., ZIP or RAR), or executables (e.g., .exe files), but can launch malware when opened or after additional steps are taken.

In some cases, the emails direct users to deceptive or compromised websites. These sites might either prompt users to download infected files or software manually or automatically download malware without user interaction.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be careful with emails - avoid opening attachments or clicking links if the message seems irrelevant, unexpected, and (or) comes from an unknown address. Make sure your system and applications are regularly updated. Always get apps and files from reputable app stores or official developer websites.

Never download pirated software, crack tools, or keygens, and do not interact with shady ads or pop-ups on dubious websites. Additionally, do not permit suspicious sites to send notifications, and use trusted antivirus or security tools. 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 "GreenWave Empowerment Fund" email letter:

Subject: GreenWave Donation

Dear ,

On behalf of the GreenWave Empowerment Fund, we're delighted to inform you that your organization has caught our attention for our prestigious 2025 Philanthropic Funding Initiative. At KMG, we're dedicated to empowering visionary leaders, innovative projects, and impactful businesses that drive sustainable change and uplift communities around the globe.

With strategic partnerships and cutting-edge analysis from industry leaders such as Dun & Bradstreet, ZoomInfo, Cognism Limited, and UpLead, we've identified you as a prime candidate capable of creating lasting impact. Whether your goal is community enrichment, job creation, or transformative innovation, we're here to help you realize it.

To learn more and take the next exciting step toward securing funding, please Email directly with our Grants Team at grant@greenwavefund.org

Together, we can turn your vision into reality. We're eager to embark on this inspiring journey with you.

Warmest regards,

Farah Palia
Director of Public Relations
GreenWave Empowerment Fund

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Quick menu:

• What is GreenWave Empowerment Fund fake 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?

If you received a scam email, it is likely your address was obtained from a data breach, a compromised site, or in some other way. Such emails are usually sent in bulk and are not targeted personally.

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

If any login details were shared, update all your passwords right away. For other sensitive information like credit card or ID details, reach out to the relevant authorities.

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

Running a harmful executable file (like a .exe) can immediately infect your device. Files such as PDFs or Office documents are generally safer, but enabling macros or taking other actions after opening them can execute malware.

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

No, cryptocurrency transactions are usually irreversible, so it is very unlikely you can get your money back.

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

Reading an email without clicking links or opening attachments cannot infect your computer.

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

Combo Cleaner can find and remove most known malware, but because some threats hide deeply, running a full system scan is essential for eliminating threats.