What is "SWIFT Confirmation Copy" email scam

What is "SWIFT Confirmation Copy" email scam?

We have inspected the email and found that it contains a fake notification about a SWIFT wire transfer confirmation copy supposedly attached for review. It is a phishing email designed to steal email account credentials from unsuspecting recipients through a fraudulent login page that imitates whichever email service provider the recipient uses. It should be ignored to avoid having an email account hijacked.

More about the "SWIFT Confirmation Copy" scam email

The email arrives with an alarming, generic subject line about a mailbox closure, but its actual message has nothing to do with that subject. It claims to come from a purchasing manager and states that a SWIFT confirmation copy for a wire transfer payment is attached as a PDF named "Wire Payment Slip". Recipients are urged to open this document using "Download PDF" or "View PDF" buttons to confirm the payment was settled.

Both buttons lead to the same destination: a fraudulent page hosted on portall.b-cdn[.]net. Instead of opening any payment slip, the page displays a fake sign-in window asking visitors to enter their email address and password under a heading reading "Leading with Security", claiming this step is required to view the secured document.

The linked website is designed to identify the recipient's email service provider based on their email address and mimic its login page. For instance, if the recipient uses a Gmail address, the site displays a fake Gmail login window placed over what looks like Google's real Workspace homepage; for Yahoo users, it shows a Yahoo-themed page; for Outlook users, an Outlook-themed page, and so on.

The web address also contains a long parameter that appears to carry the recipient's own email address, which the page likely uses to pre-fill the sign-in form. This makes the fake page look more convincing and is a common trick used in phishing campaigns that target webmail accounts, since a partially filled, familiar-looking form feels more trustworthy to the victim.

Anyone who enters their password on this page hands it directly to the scammers. Since email accounts are frequently used to reset passwords for banking, shopping, and social media services, a stolen email password can quickly lead to further account takeovers, financial losses, and identity theft. The "SWIFT confirmation" and "wire payment slip" framing has nothing to do with any real bank or financial institution.

None of the impersonated email providers, including Google, are associated with this scam, and the pages shown are not genuine login screens despite copying their branding closely. The "Manager Purchasing" signature, name, and phone numbers included in the email are also fabricated and should not be trusted or contacted.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this email is a phishing scam disguised as a SWIFT wire transfer confirmation from a purchasing manager. It aims to steal email account credentials through a fraudulent login page that imitates the recipient's email service provider, hidden behind "Download PDF" and "View PDF" buttons. Recipients should ignore the email and avoid entering any information on the linked page to protect themselves from account takeover and identity theft.

Sometimes, scams like this are used to deliver malware.

More examples of similar scam emails are Your Domain Account Service Will Expire Soon, Review Your Email Settings, and Pending Mails In Quarantine.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals frequently use email to spread malware by attaching infected files. These attachments can take the form of executable programs, Office documents, PDFs, archive files such as ZIP or RAR, and various script files. Opening these files, or enabling features like macros within them, can trigger the installation of malicious software.

Other emails rely on embedded links rather than attachments. Clicking such a link can redirect the user to a page that automatically downloads malware, or that tricks them into manually downloading and running a harmful file. In nearly all cases, the malware only activates after the recipient interacts with the email's content in some way.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat unexpected emails about payments, invoices, or account problems with suspicion, especially when they include attachments or urge you to click a link quickly. Verify such messages through a separate, trusted channel, such as calling the company directly using a phone number from its official website, before opening anything.

Only download software from official websites and app stores, and avoid pirated programs, cracks, or key generators, since these are common sources of malware infections. Keep your operating system, browser, and other applications updated, and use a reputable antivirus solution that can detect and block threats in real time.

If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "SWIFT Confirmation Copy" email letter:

Subject: Final Reminder: Your Mailbox Is Scheduled for Closure

Dear [recipient name],

Please find attached the SWIFT confirmation copy for your wire transfer payment.

To securely review the official bank payment slip shared by our Accounts Department, please open the secure document below. We are pleased to confirm that the payment has now been successfully settled.

We sincerely apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.

Wire Payment Slip Monday, June 2026.pdf

[Download PDF] [View PDF]

Kindly check and advice if the payment have arrive at your bank
Best Regards

Arman Hussein Ali
Manager Purchasing

Mob: +966 510760912
Tel: +966 92 260 6181

The fake login page used in this scam (Gmail variant shown):

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Quick menu:

• What is SWIFT Confirmation Copy 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 not aimed at any specific individual. Cybercriminals send them out in bulk to large lists of addresses collected through data breaches, scraping tools, and similar methods, hoping that a small percentage of recipients will fall for the message.

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

If you entered your email address and password on the linked page, change that password immediately and enable two-factor authentication if possible. Since email accounts are often linked to other services, also check your banking, shopping, and social media accounts for suspicious activity and contact the relevant providers if needed.

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

This depends on the file type. Executable files generally infect a system as soon as they are run. Documents, PDFs, and archives usually require an extra step from the user, such as enabling macros or extracting and opening an installer, before any malware is installed.

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

No. Simply opening or reading an email is not dangerous on its own. Infections occur only after a user clicks a malicious link, downloads a file, or otherwise interacts with the content in a way that lets the malware run.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware from a system, but running a full system scan is important, since some advanced threats are designed to hide deeper within the operating system.