ACH Payment Canceled Malware Email

Outline

Email purporting to be from the Automated Clearing House (ACH) claims that a recent payment made by the recipient has been canceled and that he or she should open an attached file to review details. 

Brief Analysis

The email is not from the ACH. The message is an attempt by Internet criminals to trick recipients into opening the attached file which contains malware.

Example

Detailed Analysis

According to this email, which purports to be from America’s Automated Clearing House (ACH), a recent checking account transaction has been canceled by “the other financial institution”. The recipient is urged to open an attached file to see details of why the transaction was canceled. The message contains the signature and address of NACHA – The Electronic Payment Association.

However, the message is certainly not from the ACH and the attachment does not contain information about a financial transaction. Instead, the attachment contains malware. Those who open the attached .zip file will not find a financial document, but rather a .exe file. If they open this .exe file, malware will be installed on their computers. This malware is able to connect with remote servers and download and install further malware such as rogue anti-virus programs. 



The ACH and the entity’s managing body NACHA have been targeted by scammers for several years. Some have been malware attacks like this one, while others have been phishing scams designed to trick users into divulging personal and financial information. Because the ACH is an official funds transfer system that processes large volumes of credit and debit transactions in the United States, at least a few recipients may be inclined to believe the claims in this malware email and open the attachment as instructed.

Neither ACH nor NACHA will ever send you an unsolicited email that asks you to open an attachment or follow a link and supply personal information. If you receive an email that claims to be from the ACH or NACHA, do not open any attachments that it may contain. Do not follow any links in the email. Do not reply to the email or supply any information to the senders.