How to identify scams like "Encrypted Fax Document Received"

What kind of scam is "Encrypted Fax Document Received"?

Our team has concluded that it is a phishing email imitating a notification regarding an encrypted fax document. It is designed to trick recipients into opening a fake website and entering personal information. Falling for this scam can result in account hijacking and other problems.

More about the "Encrypted Fax Document Received" scam email

This email claims to notify the recipient of a new fax containing two pages. It states that an encrypted fax document has been received and instructs the recipient to view it by opening the provided link ("Preview Fax"). The message includes details about the file, such as its name, modification date, and encryption type, and urges the recipient to preview the fax.

Clicking the provided link opens a fake Gmail sign-in page asking to enter an email address and password. This information, if submitted, is transmitted to scammers. Once cybercriminals have these details, they can try to access email and other accounts (e.g., banking, gaming, or social media).

Typically, hijacked accounts are misused to distribute scams or malware, steal money or identities, harvest sensitive information, make fraudulent purchases, etc. Also, stolen credentials can be sold to third parties on the dark web. Thus, it is highly advisable to be careful with suspicious emails.

If an email seems dubious, links and files presented in it should not be opened to avoid issues like monetary loss, identity theft, computer infections, or other issues.

Conclusion

This email is a phishing attempt designed to steal login credentials by posing as a fax notification. Recipients should avoid clicking links or entering any personal information, as doing so can lead to account takeover, financial loss, identity theft, or malware infections. Exercising caution with suspicious emails is essential to prevent these risks.

Here are more examples of scam emails: "System Update", "Final Notice - Complete Verification", and "Office 365 Password Reset Request".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Email is a common way for malware to be delivered. Attachments like executables, Office or PDF documents, script files, and compressed files can contain malware that activates when the file is opened or when the user takes additional actions (e.g., enables macros in an infected document).

Deceptive emails may also direct recipients to fake or compromised websites that either silently download malware or convince users to download and run it themselves. In most cases, a system becomes infected only if the user interacts with the attachment or link.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious online: ignore pop-ups, ads, and buttons on untrusted sites, and never open attachments or click links in unexpected, irrelevant messages (including emails) from unknown senders. Do not allow notifications from suspicious websites.

Download software and apps from official stores or trusted websites, and avoid pirated programs, cracks, or keygens. Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and run regular scans with reliable antivirus or anti-malware tools.

Text presented in the "Encrypted Fax Document Received" email letter:

Subject: New Fax Notification: 2 Pages Received - View Securely

Encrypted Fax Document Received for ********
You Have a New Fax
View by opening the enclosed document

DOCUMENT DETAILS
File: LCL32_********.pdf
Modified: Wednesday/October/2025 15:09 PM
Encryption: YSO20//FX.********
Preview Fax

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Encrypted Fax Document Received phishing 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?

Scammers usually obtain email addresses from fake websites, data breaches, or other sources, and send their emails to many addresses at once. Their emails are not personalized.

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

If your passwords or other login credentials are compromised, change them right away. For other sensitive information, such as credit card or identification numbers, contact the appropriate financial or government institutions.

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

Running an executable file can immediately activate malware. Other files, like documents or compressed archives, often need the user to perform additional actions before any malware can execute.

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

Reading an email does not pose a threat. Malware only becomes active if the recipient clicks a link, opens an attachment, or performs further actions after opening a file (or a link).

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most malware, but running a full system scan is essential to uncover and eliminate hidden or more sophisticated threats.