How to recognize fake "Your Statement Is Available For Review" emails

What kind of email is "Your Statement Is Available For Review"?

"Your Statement Is Available For Review" is malspam. This malicious spam message alerts the recipient of a mandatory document review. The purpose of this email is to trick victims into installing a malicious ScreenConnect installer onto their devices. It must be emphasized that this mail is not associated with any legitimate entities.

"Your Statement Is Available For Review" email virus overview

The spam email with the subject "Access Document #8348 Securely" (may vary) informs that a statement is available for review. Downloading and reading this document within 48 hours is mandatory, as it contains critical updates to secure the recipient's information and ensure compliance. It must be stressed that the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine entities.

The malspam deceives the recipient into installing a malicious ScreenConnect setup. ConnectWise ScreenConnect provides a remote desktop access service. This client has been abused by cyber criminals to remotely control victims' devices. ScreenConnect has even been leveraged to infect systems with malware (e.g., ransomware, trojans, cryptocurrency miners, etc.). More on the abuse can be read in our "ScreenConnect (ConnectWise) Client scam" article.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Your Statement Is Available For Review" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you believe that your system has already been infected – perform a complete system scan with an antivirus and eliminate all detected threats.

Malspam campaign examples

We have analyzed thousands of spam campaigns; "Order Placement", "Payment Has Been Remitted Into Your Account", and "DHL - Customs Clearance" are just a few of our newest articles on malspam.

These emails spread all kinds of malware and are used to facilitate various scams (including phishing, technical support scams, refund scams, etc.).

While it is common for spam emails to be poorly written and riddled with mistakes, they can be competently made and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, etc.). Due to this, we strongly advise caution with incoming communications.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing malicious files as attachments or download links. These files come in different formats, e.g., executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Opening such a file triggers the infection chain. However, some formats may need additional user interaction. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect communications must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

However, it must be mentioned that malware is proliferated using various methods. Therefore, we advise vigilance when browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and malicious content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. Software must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as those acquired from third-parties can contain malware.

It is essential to have a dependable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Your Statement Is Available For Review" spam email letter:

Subject: Access Document #8348 Securely

Statement ID #8348

Hello,

Your Statement #8348 is available for review, it is mandatory to download and review this document which contains essential updates to safeguard your information and ensure compliance.

You can download this document using the secure link below:

View Statement ID #8348

This process is quick, secure, and uses industry-standard encryption. We recommend completing it within 48 hours for optimal protection.

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Your Statement Is Available For Review" malspam?
• 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?

Spam emails may include personal information, but that does not make them personal. Cyber criminals distribute these messages by the thousands with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Merely reading an email does not pose an infection threat; systems are compromised when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

File formats may influence infection success rates. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) – might need additional actions to initiate malware download/installations, such as enabling macros, clicking embedded content, and so on.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner can scan devices and remove all kinds of threats. It is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a complete system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.