How to spot scams like the fake "Contract Quote" message

What is the fake "Contract Quote"?

During our inspection, we identified this message as a phishing email. It mentions a contract quote to appear important and trick recipients into opening the provided link. The purpose of this scam email is to extract personal information. Victims of this scam may have their accounts stolen and encounter other issues.

More about the "Contract Quote" scam email

This phishing attempt is disguised as a message regarding a contract quote for products and services. It urges the recipient to confirm acceptance by signing and returning a file named "174291464_Contract_Quote_2025.doc" (the email contains a link, not an attachment).

The message also mentions confidentiality and includes instructions to download the agreement. Clicking the provided link ("Download agreement" button) leads to a fake website posing as a secure document access site. This page instructs visitors to enter their email addresses and passwords to open a document.

In reality, there is no document, and any disclosed information is sent to scammers. Using stolen login credentials, scammers can try to access various accounts, including email, banking, social media, and gaming. Once inside, they can misuse those accounts to steal money or identities, send fake messages, distribute malware, and engage in other malicious activities.

Therefore, it is highly advisable not to open files or links in suspicious messages and never disclose personal information on websites included in such emails.

Conclusion

The email is a phishing scam disguised as a contract quote, designed to steal login credentials through a fake document access page. Any information entered is sent directly to scammers, who can misuse it to access accounts, steal identities, commit fraud, etc. It is important to note that sometimes scam emails can be used to deliver malware.

More examples of fraudulent emails are "Booking.com - Reservation Messages Email Scam", "Security Update Required Email Scam", and "My Benefits - Your Claim Statement Is Ready Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals frequently utilize email as a delivery method for malware. They may attach harmful files, ranging from infected documents and executable files to archives and scripts, that infect a device when opened or when certain features, like macros, are activated.

These emails can also contain links that lead to dangerous websites. Such sites may download malware without the user’s knowledge or trick them into downloading it. In most cases, a device becomes infected only after the user interacts with these unsafe files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Protect your devices by performing routine scans with reputable security software and regularly updating the operating system and installed applications. Download applications from official websites or app stores, and avoid pirated software, cracking tools, or key generators. Avoid interacting with ads or pop-ups on untrustworthy sites.

Be careful when dealing with emails or other messages from unfamiliar sources, especially those that contain files or links. If a message seems irrelevant or unexpected, do not open its attachments or click anything inside it. Additionally, do not accept notifications from suspicious websites.

Text presented in the "Contract Quote" email letter:

Subject: FW:Contract Quote

Contract Quote

We are pleased to present this contract quote for the specified products and services.

Please confirm acceptance by signing and returning the attached file.
174291464_Contract_Quote_2025.doc

This email is meant for ********

All information is confidential and not for sharing.

Download Agreement

Unsubscribe - Unsubscribe Preferences

Fake page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Contract Quote 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?

Usually, scam emails are sent to a large number of people. Scammers often acquire recipients' contact details from security breaches, fraudulent websites, or other sources. Overall, these messages are not personal/targeted.

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

If scammers have stolen login information, promptly update affected passwords to secure accounts. Contact your bank or any relevant organizations or authorities if sensitive financial or personal data may have been exposed.

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

Malware risk varies by file type. Malicious files with extensions like .exe can infect a computer as soon as they are opened, whereas documents are generally safer unless users enable features like macros, which can run malware.

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

Simply receiving or reading an email does not pose a danger. A device is at risk only if the user interacts with malicious links or opens infected attachments.

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

Combo Cleaner can remove the majority of malware, but performing a thorough scan ensures that even hidden threats are detected and eliminated.