How to spot scams like "Fund Transfer Intercepted"

What kinf of scam is "Fund Transfer Intercepted"?

Our team has inspected the email and concluded that it is a phishing email masquerading as an important message regarding an intercepted money transfer. Typically, emails like this one are used to steal money or information from recipients. This and similar emails should be ignored and deleted.

More about the "Fund Transfer Intercepted" scam email

The email claims to be an urgent official notice regarding $4,500,000 that was intercepted. It states that the interception occurred due to incorrect information provided by a representative, Mr. Frank Cole II, who is blamed for faking the recipient's status and claiming rights to the fund.

The message requests information, including full name, address, occupation, phone number, and a copy of an ID, supposedly to verify that the recipient is "still alive" and to release the payment. However, if provided, this information can be misused to create fake accounts, steal identities, or for other malicious purposes.

Also, scammers behind the email may try to lure recipients into paying fake administration, transaction, or other fees to steal money. In both cases, recipients should not respond to this email and always be careful when receiving such emails to avoid the associated risks.

Conclusion

This email is a scam designed to steal personal information and potentially money. Responding or providing any requested details can lead to identity theft, financial loss, or other negative outcomes. Recipients should ignore the message and exercise caution with similar emails. It is important to note that scams like this can be used to deliver malware.

Here are examples of similar scams: "JP Morgan Chase Fund Release Email Scam", "Compensation To Cyber Crime Victims Email Scam", and "Food For The Poor Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Scam emails may include infected attachments disguised as legitimate files, such as documents, PDFs, executables, script files, and archives. These files can contain malware that infects a device when opened or after the user takes further steps.

Such emails can also contain links to untrustworthy websites, where malware may be downloaded automatically or trick users into downloading and running it themselves. Typically, a system becomes infected only after the user interacts with a malicious link or file.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Exercise caution when opening unexpected emails or messages from unknown sources, and avoid clicking on links or opening attachments they contain. Always download software from official websites or trusted app stores. Do not interact with pop-ups, ads, buttons, or links on suspicious sites.

Do not use pirated programs, cracks, or keygens. Keep your operating system and apps up to date, and perform regular scans with reliable security software to protect your device.

Appearance of the scam email (GIF):

Text presented in the "Fund Transfer Intercepted" email letter:

Subject: Respond now

This message is very important and should be regarded as such.

This is official notice to you that your fund worth of $4,500,000 which was supposed to be transferred to you since, had been intercepted. I know that you have been waiting for the arrival of the fund into your account.

Unfortunately it was intercepted due to wrong information which was presented by your representative Mr. Frank Cole II. And the same man came again and tried to make us believe that you are dead and even explained that you entered into an agreement with him, to help you in receiving your FUND, So did you sign any Deed of Assignment in favor of (Mr. Frank Cole II.)? Thereby making him the original current beneficiary.

In view of this development, if you are still alive I requested you confirm to us that you are alive and also furnish us with your full Information such as,

Full name:

Country:

City:

Address:

Occupation:

Tell phone:

Copy of ID card

Meanwhile, be assured that upon receipt of the above information the processing bank will make your payment through your best option of payment you may request.

Your quickest reply is highly needed today if you are still alive.

Yours in Service,

Andrea Gacki

Director, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)

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Quick menu:

• What is Fund Transfer Intercepted phishing attempt?
• 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?

Fraudsters often send the same message to many recipients at once, relying on the chance that someone will fall for it. These emails are usually generic and not tailored to a specific individual.

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

If account credentials were shared, passwords should be reset as soon as possible. In cases where personal or financial data was exposed, affected institutions should be notified promptly.

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

The risk of infection is high when the file is an executable or a script. Documents such as PDFs or Word files may not infect the system unless additional actions are taken.

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

An email alone poses no threat to a device. Risk arises when attachments are opened or links are clicked.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most malware infections, but more advanced threats may hide within the system, so running a full scan is recommended.