How to spot scams like "FedEx - Download Shipping Documents"

What is "FedEx - Download Shipping Documents" scam?

Our team has inspected the email and concluded that it is a phishing message posing as a notification from FedEx (a legitimate transportation company). Its purpose is to trick recipients into opening a fake website and entering personal information. This email should be ignored and deleted.

More about the "FedEx - Download Shipping Documents" scam email

The email informs the recipient that shipping documents or labels are ready for download. It instructs the recipient to download a PDF file, print the documents, and either drop off the package at a FedEx location or schedule a pickup. The message also includes information about commercial invoice requirements for certain shipments to appear official.

The link (labeled "DOWNLOAD EX7708967896 .pdf") in this email leads to a fake login page that imitates the recipient's email provider (e.g., if the recipient uses Gmail, then the site poses as the Gmail login site). Scammers use this site to trick visitors into entering their email account password to "continue". In reality, the entered details are sent to scammers. This information can be used to access email accounts.

Once scammers have access to email accounts, they can exploit them to send scam emails or emails containing malicious files. Also, fraudsters can harvest sensitive information from emails. Additionally, they can try to use the stolen login credentials to access social media, gaming, banking, or other accounts, or sell credentials to other cybercriminals.

Overall, trusting this email can result in various issues, including account hijacking, financial loss, or identity theft.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this email is a phishing scam designed to steal Gmail credentials. Providing login information can lead to account takeover, unauthorized access to other accounts, and potential financial or identity theft. Recipients should ignore the email and avoid clicking any links or downloading attachments.

More examples of similar scams are "Spam Test Email", "Encrypted Fax Document Received", and "Exodus Wallet Verification". Sometimes, emails of this type can be used to deliver malicious software.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals who use email to spread malware often attach infected files. They use malicious executable files (like .exe), Office documents, PDFs, compressed files (like ZIP or RAR), scripts, and other file formats. Malware can infect a device when these files are opened or when certain features, like macros, are enabled.

Emails may also contain links to fake or compromised websites. Visiting these sites can cause malware to download automatically or persuade users to download and execute it manually. In most cases, the malware only becomes active when the recipient interacts with the attachments or clicks the links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Do not open attachments or click links in emails or messages that are unexpected, irrelevant, or from unknown senders. Exercise caution when browsing, and do not trust pop-ups, ads, links, or buttons on questionable sites. Also, do not grant suspicious websites permission to send notifications.

Only download software and files from official websites or trusted app stores, and avoid pirated programs, cracks, or key generators. Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and run regular scans with a reliable antivirus or anti-malware tool.

Text presented in the "FedEx - Download Shipping Documents" email letter:

Subject: FedEx Shipping Documents

DOWNLOAD EX7708967896 .pdf for your shipping label(s) and/or shipping document(s) in PDF format. Please print your documents and drop off your labeled package at a FedEx location OR request a FedEx pickup if you do not have one scheduled.

Thank you for shipping with FedEx

Please Note – FedEx Express® shipments: Commercial Invoice paperwork is required for most non-document commodities. You must submit one signed original and two copies.

Fake Gmail login website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is FedEx - Download Shipping Documents 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?

Scam emails are often sent to a large number of people using addresses gathered from breaches or fake platforms, and they usually lack personalization.

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

Reset passwords that could have been exposed, and notify the relevant entities regarding any sensitive information, like financial or ID details.

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

While executable files launch malware instantly after being opened, archives, documents, and similar files generally require the user to perform certain actions, such as enabling content or running a program, for the malware to execute. Thus, the probability of infection depends on the file type and actions taken.

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

Simply receiving a deceptive email does not infect a device. The threat activates only when the user engages with its content.

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

Combo Cleaner can clean the majority of malware, but a full scan is needed to find and remove advanced threats.