How to identify fake emails like "Internet Crime Complaint Center"

What kind of scam is "Internet Crime Complaint Center"?

We have inspected the email and found that it is a scam. It is disguised as a letter from a legitimate entity and is designed to trick recipients into disclosing personal information and (or) transferring money to scammers. This email should not be trusted.

More about the "Internet Crime Complaint Center" scam email

This scam email claims to come from Eduard Popa, who presents himself as the Director of the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). It states that the recipient is eligible for a restitution payment ($1,759,910) as compensation for fraud. The message alleges that the fraudsters responsible have already been apprehended and sentenced.

The email instructs the recipient to contact a law firm via popaeduard812@gmail.com and provide a reference number. Scammers commonly use this type of message to trick individuals into disclosing personal information, sending money, or engaging in further communication.

When scammers behind such emails aim to steal money, they claim that the recipient must pay a fee (e.g., an administration fee) before receiving the promised compensation, or they use similar methods to extract money. However, recipients never get any money and simply get scammed.

In other cases, scammers try to trick recipients into revealing personal information by requesting full names, addresses, phone numbers, or banking details, pretending it is needed to process a payment or other purposes. Either way, such emails are fraudulent and should be ignored if received.

Similar scam emails in general

Scam emails like this often seem official and promise large sums of money to lure victims into sharing personal details (e.g., ID card or banking information) or making upfront payments. Victims of such scams never receive any money. Once scammers achieve their goal, they disappear.

It is worth noting that sometimes scam emails can be used to distribute malware. Thus, it is important to carefully analyse suspicious emails before taking action. Examples of similar scams are "World Bank Empowerment Programme Email Scam", "Outstanding Funds Due For Immediate Payment Email Scam", and "Overdraft Payment Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

One common tactic cybercriminals use to deliver malware via email is disguising malicious software inside email attachments. These files, such as Word documents, PDFs, executables, script files, and compressed files, can activate malware once opened (or additional action is taken).

Another method involves including harmful links in emails. When clicked, these links may lead to fake websites designed to trick users into downloading malware or may initiate the download automatically without the user's knowledge.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Maintain your device's security by regularly updating the operating system and software, and using reputable antivirus tools to detect threats. When browsing questionable websites, avoid clicking on ads, pop-ups, or suspicious buttons, and never allow these sites to send notifications.

Always examine emails and messages with caution, particularly if they contain unexpected attachments or links or come from unfamiliar addresses. Only download files and programs from trusted app stores or official websites, and avoid pirated software, cracking tools, key generators, etc.

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 "Internet Crime Complaint Center" email letter:

Subject: Scam Victims Compensation from Internet Crime Complaint Cent er NY Department (IC3)

Dear -,

My name is Eduard Popa, and I am the Director of the Internet Crime Complaint Center NY Department (IC3).
Our records indicate that you are eligible to receive restitution for one or more of the internet fraud schemes you've been a victim of. The fraudsters were apprehended and have been prosecuted and sentenced.

The prosecuting law firm has been approved by the judge to pay each victim an amount of USD 1,759,910.00 as restitution.
You are required to contact the law firm at the below email address, and you are to send your reference number, which is also stated below.

Ref: GBV-IP/2785-IRL142/064

E-MAIL: popaeduard812@gmail.com

Thanks, and regards!
Eduard Popa Director
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
New York, NY 10216, USA.

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Quick menu:

• What is Internet Crime Complaint Center scam 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?

Receiving a fraudulent email often means your address was collected through deceptive tactics. These emails are typically generic, do not include personal information, and are sent out to all addresses scammers have obtained.

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

Change any passwords linked to the information you provided, and monitor your accounts for suspicious activity. If sensitive data like your ID or banking details were shared, consider contacting your bank or relevant authorities.

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

Malicious executables can immediately infect your system once opened. Other file types, like documents or PDFs, are less harmful but can still be dangerous if the user is persuaded to enable certain features. Thus, whether your computer is infected depends on the file opened and whether other actions were taken.

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

These transactions are almost impossible to trace, making it unlikely that you will be able to recover the funds.

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

Simply opening an email is safe, but files and links in deceptive emails can cause infections.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known threats. However, advanced malware often conceals itself deep within the system, so it is highly advisable to perform a full system scan to ensure removal.