How to identify scams like "Compensation For Those Struggling With Poverty"

What kind of scam is "Compensation For Those Struggling With Poverty Email Scam"?

We have inspected the email and determined that it is a scam. The scammer behind this email poses as Donald Trump and aims to trick recipients into believing that they can receive compensation. Usually, scams like this one are intended to steal money and (or) personal information from unsuspecting recipients.

More about the "International Philanthropy Program" scam email

This scam email claims to offer a large government donation and presents the sender as the US President Donald Trump. It promises a $20 million payout as a lure. The scammer asks the recipient to choose a payment method, provide a copy of an ID and full personal information, and contact a personal Gmail address (mrdonaldjtrump62@gmail.com).

The email promises delivery within hours to encourage the recipient to act quickly. It seems that the purpose of this scam is to steal personal information. The stolen information can be used for identity theft, unauthorized access to accounts, or other fraudulent activities.

Moreover, if contacted, the scammer may also try to steal money by requesting payment for "administration", "transaction", or other fees. They may also use other tactics to extract money from recipients. Overall, it is a scam and it should be ignored to avoid potential issues like monetary loss or identity theft.

Similar scam emails in general

Scams like this typically promise large sums of money or prizes to trick victims into sharing personal or financial information. They often use urgent language, real names, or other details to make their offer seem legitimate. The main goal is to steal identities, access accounts, or commit financial fraud. Sometimes, these emails can be used to deliver malware.

Here are examples of similar scams: "LOTTO AMERICA Email Scam", "Donation To Someone With Good Intentions Email Scam", and "International Philanthropy Program Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors commonly spread malware via email by sending infected attachments. These include executables, scripts, Office or PDF documents, compressed archives like ZIP or RAR, and other file types. Malware is activated when the recipient opens the file or performs additional actions, such as enabling macros in a malicious Office document.

Some emails contain links to fake or hacked websites. These sites can download malware automatically or convince users to download and run it. A device only becomes infected if the user opens the malicious file or clicks the link.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download apps and files only from trustworthy sources, such as official sites or app stores. Avoid pirated programs and cracking tools. Be careful with unexpected emails or messages from unknown senders - do not open attachments or click links. Also, do not click pop-ups, ads, and buttons on unreliable websites.

Do not allow notifications from shady pages, keep your operating system and apps up to date, and regularly scan the system for threats.

Text presented in the "Compensation For Those Struggling With Poverty Email Scam" email letter:

Congratulations This is MR President Trump the
USA government donated and assigned us to compensate all those that are regardless of they faith with different issues in their life struggling with poverty with the some of [ $20 million USA dollars] in our donations we have [$600 trillion United state dollars] with the support of Govt agencies and I got an important information from network office saying that you are a victim I'm here to deliver your funds worth [$20 million USA dollars] immediately to confirm if I'm real search in Google thanks How do you want it
:1 cash
:2 ATM
:3 cash book
:4 transfer
Thanks but The first about it to confirm if I'm real search in Google & contact my email ok here at :mrdonaldjtrump62@gmail.com Kindly get me your ID card with your fully information so that I will register your documents and deliver your funds in just less than 4hours??

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Quick menu:

• What is Compensation For Those Struggling With Poverty 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?

Fraudsters send identical messages to large numbers of people. These emails are generic (they are not targeted).

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

Immediately update all account passwords if they were exposed. For other private information, (like credit card or ID numbers), inform the relevant authorities or other entities as soon as possible.

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

If the file was an executable, it likely caused an infection. If it was a document (.pdf, .doc, or similar), the system may have remained safe, since opening such files alone often is not enough for malware to run.

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

Unfortunately, once cryptocurrency is sent, it is usually irreversible.

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

Simply reading the email without opening any attachments or clicking links does not infect your computer. Malware only runs if you interact with a harmful file or link.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known malware. However, advanced malware often conceals itself deep within the system, so performing a full system scan is advisable.