What is the "Cosco Shipping Package Notification" email scam

What kind of email is "Cosco Shipping Package Notification"?

We have examined this email and found it to be a phishing scam that impersonates COSCO Shipping Lines. The message falsely claims the recipient has an incoming shipment and asks them to click a tracking link. That link leads to a fake webmail login page designed to steal email credentials, and the email should be disregarded.

"Cosco Shipping Package Notification" email scam overview

The email informs the recipient of an incoming shipment supposedly registered to their email address and instructs them to click "TRACK YOUR SHIPMENT HERE" to view it. The message uses the COSCO Shipping Lines name and logo to appear authentic. In reality, it was sent from an address belonging to an unrelated domain and contains no actual shipment details.

Following the link opens a page at wakeme-foxxwebss.wasmer[.]app showing a fake webmail login form styled to look like cPanel Webmail. The victim's email address is already filled in, extracted from a parameter embedded in the link URL, which helps make the page appear genuine. Entering a password there hands it directly to the scammers.

Stolen email credentials give cybercriminals broad access to a victim's digital life. They can read private messages, reset passwords for connected services such as banking or social media, and send deceptive messages from the compromised inbox. In some cases, they lock the real owner out entirely.

It is important to be clear that COSCO Shipping Lines has no connection to this scheme. Cybercriminals are abusing the company's well-known brand to add credibility to a fraudulent message.

Similar scam emails in general

In summary, the "Cosco Shipping Package Notification" email is a phishing scam that misuses COSCO Shipping's branding to lure recipients into surrendering their email login credentials. The email should be ignored and deleted without clicking any included links.

Scams like this are sometimes also used to distribute malware through malicious files or links.

More examples of similar scam emails are DocuSign Document Is Waiting For Your Approval, You Need To Activate Your Account, and Email Account Details Will Expire.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals distribute malware via email by attaching malicious files. These attachments come in many forms - executable files, Microsoft Office documents, ZIP or RAR archives, PDFs, and JavaScript files are among the most common. Opening them, or enabling features such as malicious macro commands in a document, can trigger malware installation.

Scam emails may also direct recipients to malicious websites through embedded links. Such pages can silently download harmful software or prompt the user to run it manually. As a rule, infection requires some form of interaction - the malware does not activate on its own.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat unexpected emails with caution, particularly those urging you to click a link or download a file. If an email claims to come from a shipping company, navigate to that company's official website directly rather than following any link in the message.

Only download software from official sources and verified developer websites. Steer clear of pirated content, cracks, and key generators, which are routinely used to bundle malware. Keeping your operating system and applications up to date is also important, as updates patch known vulnerabilities.

Use reputable antivirus software and keep it current. Do not allow unfamiliar websites to push notifications to your browser. If you suspect you have already opened a malicious attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to remove any threats that may have installed.

Text presented in the "Cosco Shipping Package Notification" email letter:

Subject: COSCO SHIPPING LINES NOTIFICATIONS !!

COSCO SHIPPING

Package Notification

Dear Valued Customer,

This is to notify you that you have an incoming
shipment registered in your email ********
Please follow the URL below to track your shipment.

[TRACK YOUR SHIPMENT HERE]

COSCO SHIPPING LINES @2026 | All rights reserved

A fake webmail login page used in this scam:

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Cosco Shipping Package Notification 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 messages are not aimed at specific people. Cybercriminals distribute them in large batches to many recipients at once, gathering email addresses through data breaches, fake websites, and similar means.

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

Change your email password right away, along with the passwords for any accounts accessible from that inbox. If you also shared banking or payment details, contact the relevant financial institution without delay.

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

Executable files (.exe and similar) can compromise a device the moment they are launched. Documents such as PDFs and Word files typically require additional interaction - like enabling macro commands - before any malicious activity begins. The actual outcome depends on the file type and how it was handled.

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

Merely reading an email does not put your system at risk. A device becomes infected only when a user interacts with malicious content - such as clicking a link or opening an attachment. If you read the message without doing either, your computer is safe.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove a wide range of malware threats. That said, running a full system scan is necessary - more sophisticated threats can hide deep within the system and may not surface during a quick check alone.