Lately there have been some spam emails claiming to have details about an incorrect hotel transaction. The email is a ploy to install malware on your computer. Here’s how it works,
- You receive an email telling you that a hotel has incorrectly charged your credit card
- The email also says that you should fill out an attached form for a refund (i.e. open an attachment and get some money)
- The attachment installs a fake antivirus program
- The fake antivirus program asks you to pay money to clean your PC (even though there’s really nothing wrong with it)
This spam email has many variants but they all seem to be based on a hotel transaction. Below are some example subject lines
Hotel Renaissance Chicago made wrong transactionHotel Westin St. Francis made wrong transactionWrong transaction from your credit card in Woodrun V Townhomes
If you see an email like these just delete it, or mark it as spam. Don’t open the attachment.
Thank you. I have just received one of these emails and was very suspicious.
Hello dear friend,
I would like to ask you if it’s ok to keep this malware on a folder on my desktop..
Thanks,
Andrew
Thanks for the effort in spotting all these frauds n spams n sharing it with everyone. Your website has been absolutely informative!
Andrew, you shouldn’t keep malware on your desktop. It’s too easy to double click on it.