Avoid getting scammed by fake "Mediterranean Shipping Company" emails

What kind of email is "Mediterranean Shipping Company"?

Upon inspection, we determined that the "Mediterranean Shipping Company" email is spam. It requests the recipient to review their shipment documents. The purpose is to lure victims into revealing their email log-in credentials to a phishing website. It must be emphasized that this scam message is not associated with the real Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

"Mediterranean Shipping Company" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Shipment Dispatch Confirmation" (may vary) informs the recipient that their shipment has been dispatched. The message instructs to review the shared documents (bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list, etc.) and ensure the accuracy of the information therein.

It must be reiterated that the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with the actual Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.

The phishing site promoted by this campaign is presented as a Microsoft OneDrive page. It claims that an encrypted document was shared with the email recipient and must be authenticated with their log-in credentials to access the file. Phishing websites are designed to record entered data and send it to scammers.

Stolen accounts can be used for a variety of nefarious purposes; cyber criminals may even attempt to access linked accounts, platforms, and services (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, file sharing, cloud storage, entertainment, e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

To expand upon the potential abuse, scammers can steal the account owner's identity and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files. Work-related accounts are often targeted for the goal of infecting the corporate network with trojans, ransomware, and other malware. Stolen finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Mediterranean Shipping Company" can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Phishing spam campaign examples

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Aside from log-in credentials, these messages commonly target personally identifiable information and financial data. Various scams are facilitated through spam mail, and it is used in malware distribution.

While the widely held belief that these emails are poorly written and full of spelling/grammatical mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently made and convincingly disguised as messages from genuine entities (e.g., service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, etc.). Therefore, we strongly advise caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware through virulent files that can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files come in different formats, such as documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening a malicious file can be enough to trigger the infection chain. However, some formats require additional interaction to jumpstart malware infiltration processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails and other communications. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

It must be mentioned that malware is distributed using various methods. Therefore, we advised vigilance when browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and innocuous.

Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and trustworthy sources. Software must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal product activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is essential for device/user safety to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove active and potential 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 "Mediterranean Shipping Company" spam email letter:

Subject: Shipment Dispatch Confirmation

MEDITERRANEAN SHIPPING COMPANY

Dear Customer,

We wish to inform you that your shipment has been dispatched to your designated location.
Kindly verify the accompanying documents upon receipt to ensure accuracy.

Please take a moment to review the attached Bill of Lading, Commercial Invoice, Packing list, and any other necessary certificates.

Thank you for choosing MSC. we look forward to delivery your shipment safely and efficiently.

Download Documents

Sincerely,
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company

© 2024 - MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. All Rights Reserved

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Mediterranean Shipping Company" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Mediterranean Shipping Company" 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?

Spam emails are not personal, even if they include information of such nature. This mail is sent out in massive campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) emails.

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

If you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you have disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

Reading an email is harmless; systems are infected 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 cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – like documents – might need additional actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded files/links, etc.) to initiate malware download/installation.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing nearly all known malware infections. It must be stressed that performing a full system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.