What is "Damaged Package" malspam

What is the "Damaged Package Email Virus" email?

After inspecting this email, we determined that it is malspam. The message is crafted to look like a routine customer complaint about a damaged shipment and contains a link that redirects to a malicious website. That site delivers a harmful file to the visitor's device. This email should be ignored and deleted upon receipt.

More about the "Damaged Package Email Virus" spam email

The email is written as if from a customer named Monica Barnes, who claims the interior of a package she received was heavily damaged during shipping. She says she recorded an unboxing video and took photographs as evidence but could not attach them due to large file sizes, so she uploaded the files to a link and asks the recipient to view them there.

She then requests guidance on whether an exchange or refund would be appropriate. This lure targets businesses and customer service teams, making the email look like a standard complaint. The link in the email, however, does not lead to any photos or video.

Clicking it opens a fake video hosting page, which displays a "video cannot be previewed" message and a Download button. This results in the download of a ZIP archive named Delivery_Unboxing_Verification.zip. Inside the archive is a malicious executable (.exe) installer.

The specific malware delivered by this executable is currently unknown. Campaigns like this are used to spread many types of threats, including trojans, ransomware, spyware, keyloggers, and cryptocurrency miners. The file showed zero detections on VirusTotal at the time of analysis, so it may bypass many security tools.

Running the installer may lead to stolen credentials, financial losses, identity theft, or other serious harm. This email should be deleted without clicking the embedded link.

Spam campaign examples

This email disguises itself as a customer complaint in order to trick recipients into downloading a malicious file. The embedded link redirects to a fake video page that serves a ZIP archive containing a harmful executable. Opening that installer may expose the computer to malware capable of causing financial loss, data theft, or other serious harm.

More examples of similar malware-spreading emails are Your Cheque Is Ready, DocuSign - Shared Document, and Settlement eDocument Completed. Spam mail is used to proliferate all kinds of malicious software, so always treat unexpected messages with caution.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is often distributed through email by sending malicious attachments or links embedded within messages. Attachments can take many forms, including Microsoft Office documents, PDF files, ZIP and RAR archives, executables, script files, and disk images. Some infect the computer the moment they are opened, while others require additional steps such as enabling macro commands or extracting and running a file from an archive.

When emails contain links instead of attachments, those links often redirect to websites that either automatically push a malicious download or display fake prompts asking the visitor to run a file manually. In both cases, the aim is to get the user to execute harmful software on their own device.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be careful with unexpected emails, especially those containing links or attachments. Messages from senders you do not recognize should be approached with suspicion, even if the message seems plausible. If a link in an email leads to a file download for something you never requested, that is a strong warning sign.

Download software only from official and trusted sources, and keep your operating system and installed programs updated. Pirated tools, cracks, and key generators frequently contain hidden malware. If you have already opened a malicious file, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate any infiltrated threats.

Text presented in the "Damaged Package Email Virus" email letter:

Subject: Package Delivered With Damaged Contents

Dear Team,

Upon receiving the product and inspecting it, I realized the interior had been heavily damaged during shipping and cannot be used.

I have an unboxing video and photos of the damage saved as evidence. Due to the large file sizes, I could not attach them directly to the email, so I uploaded them to the link below. I apologize for the inconvenience and would appreciate it if you could view them via the link.

[Link]

After reviewing the situation, please guide me on the appropriate steps, whether that be an exchange or a refund.

Best regards,
Monica Barnes

Screenshot of the malicious website promoted by this spam campaign:

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Damaged Package malspam?
• 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?

Cybercriminals distribute the same message to a large number of recipients at once. These emails are not personalized. Contact information used in such campaigns is typically gathered through data breaches, fake sign-up forms, or similar sources.

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

Change the passwords for any accounts that may have been exposed. If financial or other sensitive personal data was shared, notify your bank or the relevant authorities as soon as possible.

I have downloaded and opened a file promoted by a spam email, is my computer infected?

It depends on the type of file and what actions were taken. Executable files generally install malware as soon as they are run. If you ran the file promoted by this campaign, a full system scan with a trusted antivirus tool is strongly recommended.

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

No. Simply reading an email does not trigger an infection. Malware requires the user to actively download and run a malicious file, or click a link that initiates the process automatically.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware infections. However, advanced threats may be deeply embedded in the system. Running a complete scan is necessary to ensure no malicious components remain hidden.