How to identify scams like "Purchase Order Review Request"

What kind of email is "Purchase Order Review Request"?

After examining this email, we determined it is a phishing scam. It is disguised as a routine business communication requesting a purchase order review, but clicking the provided link leads to a fraudulent Microsoft login page. The goal is to steal the recipient's email credentials. This email should be disregarded.

"Purchase Order Review Request" email scam overview

The email arrives under the name Terry Chan, allegedly from Tsin Tai Engineering Co., Ltd. It claims to have attached a purchase order for the recipient's review and asks them to respond with a stamped and signed proforma invoice.

Clicking the "Review Purchase Order" button opens a page on GitHub Pages that imitates a Microsoft Excel interface. The page pre-fills the recipient's email address and asks for a password, claiming this is required to access or download the document.

Any password entered on that page is captured by the scammers. With access to a victim's email account, cybercriminals can read private correspondence, impersonate the account owner, send further phishing emails from it, or attempt to break into other services using the same credentials.

Neither Tsin Tai Engineering Co., Ltd. nor Microsoft is associated with this scam in any way. The attackers copied Microsoft's branding solely to make the fake login page appear trustworthy.

Email scams in general

In summary, this email is a phishing scam disguised as a business purchase order request. It leads victims to a fake Microsoft login page to steal their credentials. Scam emails like this are sometimes used to distribute malware as well.

More examples of similar scam emails are Payment Documents, cPanel Password Verification, and Forwarding Rule Added.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors spread malware via email by attaching malicious files or embedding links that lead to harmful websites. File formats used for this purpose include executables, Microsoft Office documents, archives such as ZIP or RAR files, PDFs, and JavaScript files.

Opening these files, or clicking such links, can initiate a malware download or installation. Certain formats require extra interaction from the user first, such as enabling malicious macro commands in Office documents. The malware generally cannot activate without some action on the victim's part.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with unsolicited emails, especially those containing attachments or links. This applies even when the email appears to come from a familiar contact or known organization. Always verify unexpected requests through an independent channel.

Download software only from official websites or verified app stores. Avoid cracked software, key generators, and similar tools, as they frequently carry hidden malware alongside the advertised content.

Keep your operating system and applications updated. Maintain a trustworthy antivirus program and run it regularly. If you suspect you have already opened a malicious file, we recommend scanning your system with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to remove any threats that may have been installed.

Text presented in the "Purchase Order Review Request" email letter:

Subject: Proforma Invoice Request – Tsin Tai Engineering

Purchase Order Review Request

Dear Partner,

Please find attached the purchase order requiring your review. Once reviewed, we kindly request you to provide us with a stamped and signed proforma invoice.
[Review Purchase Order]

Your cooperation and timely support are greatly appreciated.

Warm regards,
Terry Chan
Tsin Tai Engineering Co., Ltd.
Mobile: 63711459

Confidentiality notice
This message and any attachments are intended solely for the recipient and may contain confidential information.

A fake Microsoft login page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Purchase Order Review Request phishing scam?
• 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 emails are mass-distributed, not individually targeted. Scammers gather addresses through data breaches, fake websites, and similar methods, then send the same message to large lists of recipients.

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

Change any passwords that may have been exposed immediately. If financial or identification details were also entered, contact the relevant organizations or authorities as soon as possible.

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

Executable files often start infecting a device as soon as they are launched. Other formats, like Office documents, typically require an extra step such as enabling macros before malware activates. The risk depends on the file type and the user's actions.

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

Reading an email alone is safe. Infection requires actively interacting with malicious content, such as clicking a link or opening an attached file.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove the majority of known malware infections. Running a full system scan is recommended, since certain advanced threats can hide deep within the system and may not be caught by a quick check.