What kind of scam is "Purchase Order Shared With You Via Dropbox" email

What kind of email is "Purchase Order Shared With You Via Dropbox"?

We have examined this email and determined that it is a phishing scam. The message is disguised as a Dropbox file-sharing notification, claiming a purchase order document has been shared with the recipient and is awaiting their review. It is designed to lure recipients into visiting a fraudulent website where their login credentials can be stolen. This email should be ignored.

"Purchase Order Shared With You Via Dropbox" email scam overview

This email poses as an automated Dropbox notification, claiming a purchase order spreadsheet has been shared with the recipient. To appear convincing, it includes specific-looking details: a PO reference number, file size, currency, a date, and a "Pending Approval" status.

Two buttons are presented - "Open Document" and "Download." Clicking either would have directed the victim to a phishing website. That site is no longer active, but it was built to steal credentials.

Based on how campaigns of this type operate, the fraudulent page likely either mimicked a Dropbox login portal or impersonated the recipient's email service provider. Some phishing sites detect the visitor's email domain and show a matching fake login form - someone using a corporate email address might see a page designed to look like their organization's webmail, for instance.

Whatever the page displayed, any credentials entered there go directly to the scammers. Stolen email login details are particularly damaging - cybercriminals can use them to access the victim's inbox, reset passwords for linked services, and take over connected accounts. The consequences can include identity theft and financial loss.

Dropbox has no connection to this scam. Fraudsters use its name and the look of its notifications purely to make the email appear trustworthy.

Similar scam emails

In conclusion, this email is a phishing scam disguised as a Dropbox file-sharing alert. Its purpose is to steal login credentials through a fraudulent website. Recipients should delete this email and avoid clicking any of its buttons or links. It is worth noting that some campaigns of this kind are also used to distribute malware.

More examples of similar scam emails are Cloudbeds Payment Details, Account Termination Notice, and Account Recovered Successfully.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals commonly deliver malware through email attachments or links to rogue websites. The attached files can take many forms - executables, Microsoft Office documents, PDF files, archives, JavaScript files, and others. Opening one of these files can trigger a malware download or installation on the device.

Links in spam emails work differently - visiting the linked page may trigger an automatic download, or the page may instruct the visitor to manually run a file. Document-type attachments often require additional user interaction before malware activates, such as enabling malicious macro commands. Executable files typically cause infection the moment they are opened.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with unsolicited emails, especially those involving invoices, purchase orders, or shared documents from unknown or unexpected senders. Do not click links or open attachments unless you can independently confirm the source is genuine.

Download software only from official developer websites and verified app stores. Avoid pirated programs, key generators, and cracking tools, as these are routinely used to distribute malware.

Keep your operating system and all installed software up to date. Use a reputable antivirus or anti-malware solution and keep it active. If you suspect you have already interacted with a malicious file, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate any threats that may have found their way onto your device.

Text presented in the "Purchase Order Shared With You Via Dropbox" email letter:

Subject: Purchase Order PO-2026-05389 has been shared via DropBox.

Hello,

A Purchase Order document has been shared with you via Dropbox. You can access the file securely through your organization's document library.

xlsx

Purchase_Order_PO-2026-05389.xlsx
Procurement • 643 KB • PO #2026-05389

Vendor: [recipient's email address]
Currency: USD
Date: 16 July, 2026 Jul 2026
Status: Pending Approval

[Open Document] [Download]

Security Note: This is a system-generated notification. Access to this document is restricted to authorized users and subject to your organization's security policies.

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Quick menu:

• What is Purchase Order Shared With You Via Dropbox 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?

Spam emails are not personally targeted. Cybercriminals send them in bulk to large numbers of recipients at once, using addresses gathered from data breaches, fake websites, and similar sources.

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

If you entered login credentials, change the passwords on any affected accounts immediately - start with your email account, since access to it can unlock many others. If financial details or identification data were shared, contact the relevant institutions or authorities right away.

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

It depends on the file type. Executable files typically compromise a system as soon as they are opened. Document formats such as Office files or PDFs are generally safer to open, but they can still cause infection if the user enables macros or interacts with embedded content.

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

Reading or viewing an email on its own does not cause infection. Your device is safe provided you did not click a link, open an attachment, or otherwise engage with the email's content.

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

Yes. Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing the vast majority of known malware threats. Running a complete system scan gives the best chance of identifying and eliminating any infection that may be present.