What kind of scam is "Interactive Brokers Two-Factor Authentication"

What kind of email is "Interactive Brokers Two-Factor Authentication Email Scam"?

After examining this email, we determined it is a phishing scam. The message poses as an official security notice from Interactive Brokers, claiming recipients must enroll a trusted device for two-factor authentication. Clicking the link inside leads to a fraudulent website designed to steal account credentials.

"Interactive Brokers Two-Factor Authentication Email Scam" email scam in detail

The email carries the subject "Mandatory Two-Factor Authentication Enrollment for Account Security" and is crafted to resemble an official communication from Interactive Brokers. It claims the company is rolling out a new security requirement and asks recipients to follow a link to register their trusted device.

The linked website is no longer active, but it was most likely designed to mimic Interactive Brokers' account login page. Sites like this prompt visitors to submit their account credentials and sometimes request additional personal or financial details under the guise of a security enrollment process.

Any information entered on such a page goes directly to the scammers. Brokerage account access is particularly valuable - attackers can use it to place unauthorized trades, liquidate holdings, or transfer funds without the account owner's knowledge.

Interactive Brokers has no connection to this campaign. The real company does not send security enrollment requests through unaffiliated third-party addresses, and any genuine security change is accessible directly through the official platform. This email should be deleted.

Similar phishing scam emails

In summary, this is a phishing scam posing as a security update from Interactive Brokers. It aims to steal brokerage account credentials through a fraudulent website and should be deleted without engaging with any of its links. Scams like this are sometimes also used to distribute malware.

More examples of similar scam emails are cPanel Server Upgrade, Purchase Order And Proforma Invoice Confirmation, and Delivery Status Summary.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals distribute malware via email by including malicious files as attachments or embedding links that lead to harmful websites. These files come in many formats - executables, archives, PDF documents, Microsoft Office files, JavaScript, and others.

Opening an executable typically triggers an infection as soon as it is launched. Documents and other file types often require user interaction first - such as enabling malicious macro commands. Malicious links in such emails can also lead to pages that begin downloads automatically or prompt users to run a file manually.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat emails from unknown or unexpected senders with caution, particularly those containing attachments or links. Even messages that appear to come from a trusted organization should be verified before any action is taken.

Download software only from official websites and verified sources. Pirated programs, key generators, and cracking tools are commonly used to bundle malware. Keeping the operating system and all installed applications up to date also helps close off known vulnerabilities.

Use a reputable antivirus program and run scans on a regular basis. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, we recommend scanning with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to identify and remove any threats that may have been installed.

Text presented in the "Interactive Brokers Two-Factor Authentication Email Scam" email letter:

Subject: Mandatory Two-Factor Authentication Enrollment for Account Security

Mandatory Two-Factor Authentication Enrollment for Account Security

Dear Client,

To enhance the protection of your financial account, we are introducing an updated security requirement that requires all clients to enroll a trusted device for two-factor authentication.

This additional security measure is designed to strengthen identity verification and reduce the risk of unauthorized access. By combining your existing password with verification from a registered device, two-factor authentication provides a more secure way to confirm that account access is being initiated by you.

Please visit the link below to complete your verification: [Complete verification].

As part of this requirement, please register and activate your trusted authentication device through the official account platform. You may also be asked to confirm your contact information and review your current security settings.

Completing this security update is an important step in maintaining secure access to your account and protecting your financial information.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Interactive Brokers

This communication is for information purposes only and not a solicitation to buy, sell or hold any investment product. Customers are solely responsible for their own decisions.

Interactive Brokers, member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC

Full appearance of "Interactive Brokers Two-Factor Authentication" scam email (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is Interactive Brokers Two-Factor Authentication 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 sent in bulk rather than targeted at specific individuals. Cybercriminals compile address lists from data breaches, fake websites, and similar sources, then send identical emails to large numbers of recipients at once.

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

Change any compromised passwords immediately, starting with your Interactive Brokers account and any other accounts sharing the same credentials.

If financial account details or personal identification data were also disclosed, contact Interactive Brokers directly and notify the appropriate 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. Executable files (.exe and similar formats) typically trigger an infection the moment they are opened. Document formats like PDFs or Word files carry less immediate risk, though they can still activate malware 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?

No. Simply reading or viewing an email is harmless on its own. Infection only occurs when you click a malicious link or open an attached file. If you did neither, your device is not at risk.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware. A full system scan is recommended to ensure the best coverage, as some more advanced threats may conceal themselves in less obvious locations on the device.