How to identify scams like the fake "HSBC - Invoice Details" email

What is "HSBC - Invoice Details" scam email?

Our analysis shows that this is a phishing email posing as an invoice from HSBC, a legitimate financial services company. Like most phishing emails, this one is designed to trick recipients into sharing personal information on a fake website. Such messages should be ignored to avoid account hijacking (and other issues).

More about the "HSBC - Invoice Details" scam email

This fraudulent email claims to be an official invoice from the corporate finance department of HSBC. It includes a large payment amount, lists a job title, and states that the invoice has already been paid by bank transfer. The message also includes an invoice number, a timestamp, contact details, and a payment reference to appear legitimate.

It urges the recipient to view the invoice or download an attachment through the provided links. These links lead to a fake website designed to pilfer email addresses and passwords. The opened site imitates the appearance of the recipient's email service provider (e.g., it mimics Gmail if the recipient's email address ends with @gmail.com).

The goal is to steal email accounts, which can be used to send scam emails (or malware) to others, harvest personal information, or for other malicious purposes. Additionally, fraudsters may attempt to access social media, gaming, banking, or other accounts using the stolen login credentials.

Overall, victims of this scam may have their accounts hijacked, their identities stolen, or their money taken, and may also encounter other issues. Thus, this and similar emails should not be trusted and should be ignored.

Conclusion

Overall, this scam email masquerades as a paid invoice to lure recipients into clicking fake links that steal their login credentials. Its sole purpose is to hijack accounts and misuse personal information, so it should be ignored and deleted. Sometimes, such emails can be used to distribute malicious software.

Here are some examples of similar phishing emails: "Change To The Webmail Access Interface Scam", "Authenticate Your Email Address Scam", and "Email Address Will Be Deactivated As A Security Measure Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Email is one of the most common ways cybercriminals use to deliver harmful software. They often include infected files, such as documents, compressed files (e.g., ZIP or RAR archives), executables, or script files. If the recipient opens these files or enables features like macros, the malware can infiltrate their system.

Scammers also use emails that deliver links to unsafe websites. These sites may attempt to download malware as soon as they load or trick visitors into manually downloading it. A device becomes infected only after the recipient interacts with the included malicious files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Stay cautious with emails or messages from unfamiliar senders, especially when they are irrelevant, unexpected, and contain attachments or links. Download apps and files only from official websites or trusted app stores, and steer clear of pirated software, cracks, and key generators.

Avoid clicking ads or pop-ups on questionable sites, and decline their notification requests. Keep your device protected by running regular scans with reputable security tools and ensuring your operating system and applications are always up to date.

Text presented in the "HSBC - Invoice Details" email letter:

Subject: Invoice INV-2025-001 – Status: PAID

INVOICE

HSBC — Corporate Finance Department

Billed To:
Client Name

Reference Role:
Generalist Manager

Invoice #:
INV-2025-001

Date:
12/4/2025 12:29:12 a.m.
Invoice Details
Description Role Amount (USD)
Service Fee Generalist Manager $130,000.00
Total:
$130,000.00

Payment Method: Bank Transfer

Payment Reference: PAY-2025-09-10-001
View Invoice Download Attachment
HSBC - Corporate Finance Department | support@hsbc.com | +44 20 7991 8888
Thank you for your business.

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is HSBC - Invoice Details 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?

Phishing emails are usually sent to many people at once (they are not personalized). Scammers collect email addresses from data leaks, fake sign-up pages, and other sources, then send their scams in bulk.

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

If scammers got your login details, immediately change the passwords for any accounts that might be at risk. If you cannot sign in to an account, contact its support team for help regaining access.

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

The risk of malware infiltration depends on the type of file. Executable files, such as .exe, can inject malware as soon as they are opened. Document files are usually less dangerous, but if macros are turned on, they can run malware.

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

Reading an email is usually safe. A device only becomes vulnerable if the user clicks a dangerous link or opens a malicious attachment.

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

Combo Cleaner can find and remove most malware. It is worth noting that running a full system scan is the best way to make sure no hidden threats remain.