How to spot scams like the fake "Chevron - Vendor Invitation"

What is "Chevron - Vendor Invitation" scam?

We have inspected the email and found that it is a fraudulent message posing as an invitation from Chevron Corporation, a legitimate energy corporation. Typically, messages like these are created to steal personal information and are classified as phishing attempts. Recipients of such emails should ignore them.

More about the fake "Chevron - Vendor Invitation" email

This email is presented as an official vendor invitation from Chevron Corporation for 2025/2026 projects. It invites recipients to register as a vendor and instructs them to request a Vendor Questionnaire and Expression of Interest forms either by emailing a provided address (inquire@chevronprocurements.us) or scanning a QR code.

It also includes a submission deadline, company contact information, and claims to be from a Chevron vendor coordinator. The purpose of this email appears to be to trick recipients into sharing sensitive information, such as login credentials, credit card details, ID numbers, or other confidential information.

Scammers may also attempt to steal money by tricking recipients into paying fake fees (e.g., processing, certification, or documentation fees). Overall, it is likely that the scammers behind this email aim to steal information and (or) money. However, their goal may also be to distribute malware.

Either way, recipients should ignore this email to avoid potential issues, such as identity theft, monetary loss, malware infiltration, or other negative consequences.

Conclusion

This email is a phishing scam disguised as an official Chevron vendor invitation. Its goal is to steal sensitive information or money through fake forms, fees, or to distribute malware. Recipients should ignore it to avoid the potential issues. Examples of similar scams are "Interactive Brokers - Account Review Confirmation Email Scam", "Crypto Cash Back Reward Email Scam", and "First Abu Dhabi Bank - Funds Transfer Documents Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often use email to deliver malware, hiding it in attachments. Typical file types they exploit include Word or Excel documents, PDFs, scripts, executable files, and compressed files like ZIP or RAR. Malware can activate when a user opens the file or takes additional steps.

Also, malware can be delivered through malicious links that can open websites that automatically download malware or trick users into running it themselves.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be careful with unexpected emails or messages that contain links or attachments. Only download software and files from official websites or trusted app stores, and avoid pirated programs, cracks, or keygens. Avoid clicking on suspicious ads or pop-ups, deny notification requests from unknown sites, and use reputable security software (and regular system scans).

Also, keep your operating system and apps up to date.

The appearance of the fraudulent email (GIF):

Text presented in the "Chevron - Vendor Invitation" email letter:

Subject: Invitation: Register as a Vendor for Chevron's 2025/2026 Projects

Company Letterhead
Vendor Invitation for 2025/2026 Projects

Dear,

We are thrilled to invite your distinguished organization to register as a vendor for our upcoming Chevron Corporation's 2025/2026 projects. This presents a unique opportunity for globally qualified companies to partner with us on transformative and innovative initiatives.

To express your interest, please request the Vendor Questionnaire and Expression of Interest (EOI) forms by contacting our procurement team at inquire@chevronprocurements.us. Alternatively, scan the QR code below to send your request.
QR Code for Vendor Questionnaire and EOI Request
Note: If images are not displaying properly, please enable image display in your email client to view the letterhead and QR code correctly.

Please submit your request for the forms by 28 November.

We are enthusiastic about the prospect of collaborating with your organization and eagerly await your response.

Best regards,

Gregory J Goff

CVX Vendor Coordinator Group Procurement

Chevron Corporation | 1400 Smith Street Houston, TX 77002, USA | inquire@chevronprocurements.us

Disclaimer: If you are already in the process of registering as a vendor or have recently submitted your EOI, please disregard this email. This message was sent to you because your contact is listed in our vendor database. We respect your inbox and comply with anti-spam regulations.

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Quick menu:

• What is Fake Chevron - Vendor Invitation?
• 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 often send the same email to many people at once. These messages are usually generic, designed to trick anyone who responds (or takes other actions).

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

Immediately change your passwords if you have shared them in response to a scam email or on a deceptive page. For any shared personal or financial information, contact the proper authorities to report the potential breach.

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

Certain files, like executable files (e.g., EXE files), can activate malware as soon as they are opened. Others, like Word or Excel documents, require user actions, such as enabling macros, to become harmful. The likelihood of infection depends on the type of file.

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

Malware can only harm a device if the user interacts with malicious files or links. Simply opening or reading the message does not pose a risk.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware. Running a full system scan is essential to uncover any hidden threats.