How to spot scams like "WeTransfer - Your Files Have Been Downloaded"

What is "WeTransfer - Your Files Have Been Downloaded" fake email notification?

We have inspected the message and found that it is a phishing email posing as a notification regarding downloaded files. Its purpose is to trick recipients into opening the included website. That site is designed to appear official to trick visitors into disclosing personal information.

More about the "WeTransfer - Your Files Have Been Downloaded" scam email

The email claims that a number of files, including a document named "Pi_4011_tmaCo Documents.pdf", has been downloaded via WeTransfer. It states that the recipient is being notified because this is the first time the link has been accessed and that future downloads will not trigger notifications.

The message encourages the recipient to check the transfer using the provided link to see if the files are downloaded again. However, opening that link leads to a fake website that can mimic the appearance of the recipient's email provider (e.g., Yahoo Mail or Gmail). That site is used to extract email addresses and passwords for email accounts.

If scammers obtain this information, they can hijack email accounts to steal personal or financial details, send fraudulent messages, spread malware, or carry out other harmful activities. Stolen passwords can also be sold to other cybercriminals.

If the same password is used on multiple accounts, attackers may gain access to social media, banking, or other online services. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully check emails before clicking links or opening attachments to avoid being tricked by scams.

Conclusion

This email is a phishing scam designed to steal email login credentials using a fake website. If compromised, attackers can access personal and financial information, send fraudulent messages, spread malware, and potentially hijack other accounts using the same password. Sometimes, victims of such scams can unknowingly execute malware on their devices.

More examples of scam emails are "Official Communication - Service Update Required Email Scam", "Email Account Closure Scam", and "Payment-Related Document In Secure PDF Format Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors often spread malware through email by including malicious attachments or links. Their goal is to deceive recipients into executing malware hidden in files such as executables, Word or Excel documents, PDFs, compressed archives, or scripts. These files can infect a system only when they are opened.

Another common tactic is using malicious links. Clicking these links can take users to fake or compromised websites that either automatically download malware or trick users into manually running it.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Applications and software should only be downloaded from official sources or reputable app stores, while pirated programs, cracks, or key generators should be avoided. It is also highly advisable to keep the operating system and all installed programs up to date and to run regular scans using trusted security software.

Caution is necessary when handling emails or messages from unknown senders. Unexpected attachments and suspicious links should never be opened. Users should also refrain from clicking on ads, pop-ups, links, or other interactive elements on untrustworthy websites, and should decline notifications from suspicious pages.

Text presented in the "WeTransfer - Your Files Have Been Downloaded" email letter:

Subject: Pi_4011_tmaCo Documents.pdf has been downloaded

WeTransfer

Your files have been downloaded

3 items, 2.84 MB in total • Expires on 10 February, 2026

We give you a heads up the first time your link transfer is downloaded (we won't email you each time). You can see if this transfer gets downloaded again in your account.
Check your transfers

Screenshot of the fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is WeTransfer - Your Files Have Been Downloaded 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?

These deceptive messages are commonly sent to multiple recipients at the same time, and addresses collected from data breaches, hacked sites, or other sources.

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

Anyone whose account might have been compromised should update their password right away. If personal or financial information has been exposed, they should report it to the relevant authorities.

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

Files pose different risks depending on their type and user actions. Executables or scripts can infect immediately, while documents may only trigger malware if certain features, such as macros, are enabled.

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

Simply viewing an email cannot cause infection. Malware requires interaction with a malicious link or attachment.

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

Combo Cleaner is able to identify and remove most malware, though advanced or deeply embedded threats might need a complete system scan for full removal.