'COVID-19 Stimulus Payment' Email Scam

Another unscrupulous spam email campaign is trying to take advantage of the hardships surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. This time the fraudsters disseminate countless lure emails pretending to contain important information about a supposed stimulus payment. This could be an effective bait as many people are feeling pressure on their finances. 

The deceiving emails claim to contain a receipt for a stimulus payment but instead, the attached file is nothing more than a phishing tool. When the user opens the file to view the fake payment, they are presented with a warning that the session has expired. The threatening document then asks them to re-enter their credentials (email and password). Whenever the data is provided, it also is transmitted to the fraudsters. 

With access to such valuable information, the attackers could potentially try to escalate their reach by taking over any other accounts associated with the compromised email. They could then perform a variety of intrusive actions. For example, if they manage to take over any social media accounts, they could use them to spread malware threats to the victim's contacts. 

It is important to always exercise caution when being presented with unexpected emails claiming to contain information about payments, invoices, or other financial information. Avoid opening any of the attached files or provided links carelessly.