What kind of scam is "Product Review Request"

What kind of email is "Product Review Request"?

We examined this email and found that it is a phishing scam. Disguised as a legitimate business procurement inquiry, it tricks recipients into opening a malicious HTML file attachment. When opened, the attachment displays a fake email service login page designed to steal the victim's credentials. This email should be ignored and deleted without opening the attached file.

"Product Review Request" email scam in detail

The email claims to come from Gabriel Oliveira, described as a procurement manager at AURORA IMPORT & EXPORT LTDA., a company based in São Paulo, Brazil. It asks the recipient's business to review attached product specifications and confirm whether they are able to manufacture the product as described. The message uses professional language and business formatting to appear legitimate.

Attached to the email is a file named PRODUCT_SPECIFICATIONS.pdf#02055.xls.html. The filename is crafted to resemble a PDF or spreadsheet, but the file is in fact an HTML page. When opened in a browser, it renders a fake login form directly on the victim's device.

The phishing page imitates an email service provider's login screen and may adapt its appearance based on the recipient's email address, mimicking services such as Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo. It can also display fabricated security notices and show what appears to be a genuine email service page behind the fake form, making it harder to recognize as fraudulent.

The form asks the victim to enter their email address and password, framed as an account verification step. Any credentials submitted are sent directly to the scammers. With access to an email account, cybercriminals can read private messages, steal sensitive information, impersonate the victim, and hijack other accounts that rely on the same email address for login or recovery.

AURORA IMPORT & EXPORT LTDA. has no connection to this scam. Cybercriminals routinely use real or fictional company names to lend credibility to their deceptive messages.

Email scams in general

In summary, the "Product Review Request" email is a phishing scam posing as a legitimate business manufacturing inquiry. Its HTML attachment opens a fake email login page designed to steal credentials. Recipients should delete the message without opening any attached files.

It is also worth noting that similar lures are sometimes used to distribute malware through other types of malicious attachments, rather than simply harvesting credentials through a phishing page.

More examples of similar phishing email campaigns are Confirm Active Account Status, DocuSign Document For Review And Signature, and cPanel Email/Password Update.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors deliver malware via email by attaching malicious files or embedding links that lead to harmful downloads. These files can take many forms - executables, archives, PDF documents, Office files, JavaScript, or disguised HTML pages, as demonstrated by this campaign.

Emails may also direct recipients to websites that trigger automatic malware downloads or prompt them to manually execute harmful programs. In most cases, the device is only put at risk once the user takes action - by opening a file, enabling malicious macro commands, or clicking a link.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Exercise caution with unexpected emails, especially those from unknown senders that include attachments or links. When an unsolicited message asks you to open a file, verify the sender's identity through official channels first. Legitimate businesses do not ask recipients to log in through attached HTML files.

Download software only from official websites and trusted app stores. Pirated content, key generators, and software cracks are frequently used to distribute malware. Keeping the operating system and all installed applications up to date helps close known security vulnerabilities.

Use a reputable security program and run regular system scans. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to detect and remove any threats that may be present.

Text presented in the "Product Review Request" email letter:

Subject: ATTACHED PRODUCT REVIEW – #582855

PRODUCT REVIEW REQUEST

Dear Sir/Madam,

I hope this message finds you well.

Please review the attached product specifications and let us know whether your company can manufacture the product exactly as provided.

We would appreciate your confirmation that you are able to match the product's:
Design
Materials
Dimensions
Technical Specifications
Workmanship
Overall Quality

If any modifications, limitations, or deviations would be required, kindly provide complete details for our evaluation.

If your company is capable of producing the product as specified, please also provide the following information:
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)
Unit Price (based on MOQ)
Production Lead Time
Packaging Details
Shipping Terms (FOB / CIF / EXW)
Payment Terms
Product Certifications or Quality Standards

We appreciate your prompt review and look forward to your response. Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Kind regards,

Gabriel Oliveira
Procurement Manager
AURORA IMPORT & EXPORT LTDA.
São Paulo, Brazil
This email contains a request for product manufacturing evaluation and quotation.

The appearance of the "Product Review Request" scam email (GIF):

A fake email service provider login page displayed by the HTML attachment:

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Product 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?

Cybercriminals send phishing emails in bulk, distributing identical messages to large numbers of recipients at once. Email addresses are typically obtained through data breaches, fake sign-up forms, and similar sources. These campaigns are usually not targeted at specific individuals.

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

Change the password for any compromised account as soon as possible and enable two-factor authentication where available. If payment details or identification information was also entered, contact your bank or the relevant authorities without delay.

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

It depends on the file type. The HTML attachment in this campaign opens a phishing page in the browser but does not directly install malware. Other types of attachments - such as executables or Office documents with macros - can compromise a device as soon as they are opened.

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

No. Simply reading or viewing the email is harmless. A device is only at risk when the user opens an attachment, clicks a link, or otherwise interacts with the malicious content inside the message.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware infections. Running a full system scan is recommended to ensure that all threats are identified and eliminated, including those that may be concealed deeper within the system.