How to identify scams like "Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward"

What is "Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward"?

Our team has examined the email and concluded that it is a scam. The message is presented as an "Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward Alert" to trick recipients into believing that they can receive rewards. However, none of the claims in this email are true, and falling for it can lead to various negative consequences.

More about the "Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward" scam email

This scam email is presented as a reward notification. It claims that the recipient's address has been selected in a supposed Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Lucky Draw. The message states that the selection is part of an ETH (Ethereum) distribution campaign that randomly rewards members of the Ethereum community.

It tells the recipient that they have won 0.98 ETH and that the funds will be sent directly to their decentralized wallet. The email instructs the recipient to confirm their eligibility and complete a claim process using an active decentralized wallet. It says that the recipient can complete these steps through the provided "reward portal".

The email also includes a fake reference ID and a verification code to make the offer appear legitimate and official. During our analysis, the website included in this scam email was inaccessible. However, scams like this one are always used to trick visitors into taking actions that benefit scammers.

Scammers behind this deceptive message may aim to trick recipients into paying some "administration", "transaction", or other fees to receive the "reward". They may also try to extract sensitive information (e.g., login credentials or credit card details) or trick individuals into launching a malicious tool designed to empty crypto wallets.

Either way, this scam should be ignored to avoid issues like financial loss, identity theft, account hijacking, or similar consequences.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this email is a fraudulent attempt to deceive recipients with a fake Ethereum reward. It is designed to steal money, personal information, or access to crypto wallets and should be ignored to prevent financial loss or identity theft. In some cases, victims of such scams end up infecting their computers.

Additional examples of scam emails are "Messages Held For Security Reasons Email Scam", "Leave Balance Review Email Scam", and "Webmail Support Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often deliver malware via email by including infected files or links. Typically, they use infected documents (Word, Excel, PDF), compressed archives (ZIP, RAR), executables, scripts, or disk images (ISO). A device becomes compromised when the user opens the file or follows its instructions.

Links in such messages can take users to fake or hacked websites, where malware may be downloaded automatically or prompt the user to download it, allowing attackers to infect the device.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Always download apps, files, or software from official sources, and never use pirated programs, cracks, or key generators. Avoid clicking on ads, pop-ups, or any interactive content on untrusted websites, and do not permit these sites to send notifications.

Exercise caution with emails or messages from unknown or unexpected senders, and never open attachments or links unless you are certain they are safe. Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and run regular scans using trusted security software.

Text presented in the "Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward" email letter:

Subject: System Notice: Ethereum Distribution Entry

Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward Alert

Hello [ ******** ],

We are pleased to inform you that your address has been selected in the Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Lucky Draw.

The initiative is part of our ongoing 200 ETH distribution campaign, reward randomly chosen participants within the Ethereum community.
Reward Amount: 0.98 ETH

Distribution Method: Direct transfer to your decentralized wallet

To Proceed, please confirm your eligibility and complete the claim process using an active decentralized wallet.
Access Reward Portal
Reference Information
Reference ID: E131Q
Verification Code: 0132H

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward notice?
• 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 send identical messages to large numbers of people and hoe that at least one recipient will respond or follow the provided instructions. These spam emails are generic and not targeted.

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

Immediately change all passwords if any account credentials were shared. For other personal information, like credit card or identification details, notify the appropriate authorities as soon as possible.

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

It depends on the file type. Malicious executable files almost always inject malware immediately, so opening one is very risky. Documents like PDFs or Word files are sometimes safer, as malware often requires extra actions beyond just opening the file to infiltrate.

I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?

Once completed, these transactions cannot be tracked and reversed, making it unlikely that the lost crypto can be retrieved.

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

Simply viewing an email does not pose a risk. Malware can infiltrate a system only after links are clicked or attached files are opened.

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

Combo Cleaner is effective at identifying and eliminating most known threats. Because sophisticated malware can hide in hidden system areas, a complete system scan is strongly recommended.