What is "Secure Document For Review" email scam

What is "Secure Document For Review" email scam?

We have examined this email and determined it is a phishing scam. The message is disguised as a document-sharing notification, claiming a secure contract file has been prepared for the recipient's review. Its goal is to trick recipients into entering their email account credentials on a fraudulent website. This email should be ignored.

"Secure Document For Review" email scam in detail

This email claims that a confidential contract document named Contract_Agreement_0035040_ACH_Payment.pdf has been shared with the recipient. It urges the reader to open it before the link expires in 72 hours, framing the countdown as a security measure.

The message also tells the recipient to move it to their inbox if it was caught by a spam filter. This is intended to make the email seem legitimate and push the victim into acting on it.

Clicking "Open Document Securely" leads to a page at esnad-fls[.]com. The site presents itself as a "Gmail Secured Portal" and shows a fake login form styled after Google's sign-in page, asking for an email address and a password.

The phishing site appears to tailor its appearance based on the recipient's email provider. A Gmail user would be shown a Google-themed fake login; users of other providers could see a different imitation interface instead.

Any credentials entered there go straight to the scammers. A hijacked email account can be used to access other services, reset passwords elsewhere, steal personal data, and carry out identity theft. Google has no connection to this scam, and esnad-fls[.]com is not affiliated with any legitimate service.

Similar scam emails in general

In summary, this is a phishing email disguised as a document-sharing notification. It directs recipients to a fake email login page at esnad-fls[.]com to steal their credentials. The email should be deleted without clicking any links.

It is worth noting that scam emails like this are sometimes used to deliver malware through malicious attachments or download links rather than leading to a credential-harvesting page.

More examples of similar scam emails are Virus Found In Your Mailbox, Mailbox Policy Update, and Email Delivery Failure Notification.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors often spread malware through email by attaching malicious files or including links to harmful websites. These files can take various forms, including executable programs, archive files, PDFs, and Microsoft Office documents.

When a recipient opens a malicious attachment or follows a harmful link, the infection chain can begin. Document types may require enabling malicious macro commands first, while links may redirect to pages that trigger automatic downloads or prompt the visitor to manually run something.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat unsolicited emails with caution, particularly those urging you to open attachments or follow links. If you are uncertain whether a message is genuine, verify it directly through the sender's official website or support channels rather than acting on the email itself.

Download software only from official developers and verified app stores. Avoid third-party download platforms, torrent sites, and tools that claim to crack or bypass paid software, as these are frequent sources of malware-laced installers.

Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and use a reputable security tool. If you have already interacted with a suspicious file, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically detect and remove any infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Secure Document For Review" email letter:

Subject: A Secure Contract File Has Been Shared With You

Secure Document for Review

You have been granted access to confidential Agreement documents:

A secure document has been shared with you for your review.

Document: Contract_Agreement_0035040_ACH_Payment.pdf

Description: Contract Review
Please move message to Inbox folder if you are unable to Review document file.
[Open Document Securely]

Note: This link will expire in 72 hours for security reasons. Please review the document before then.

A fake email service login page used in this scam:

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

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Quick menu:

• What is Secure Document For Review 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?

Scam emails like this are sent in large batches to many recipients at once. Cybercriminals obtain email addresses through data breaches, fake websites, and similar methods. These messages are generally not personally targeted.

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

Change the password for any account that may have been exposed, and update the credentials on any other accounts using the same password. If you also entered financial information, contact your bank or the relevant institution as soon as possible.

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

The risk depends on the file type. Executable files (.exe and similar) can compromise a device immediately upon opening. Office documents, PDFs, and archives are generally less direct and often require additional user interaction, such as enabling macros or running an embedded installer, before malware is activated.

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

No. Simply reading or opening an email is harmless. Your computer is only at risk if you click a link, open an attached file, or otherwise interact with malicious content included in the message.

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

Yes. Combo Cleaner can detect and remove the vast majority of known malware threats. Running a full system scan is recommended, as some advanced malware may embed itself deeply and require a thorough scan to be fully identified and eliminated.