This email, which was supposedly sent by multinational investment bank HSBC, supposedly contains a payment advice in an attached file.
The email claims that the payment advice was issued at the request of a customer and is for your reference only.
However, the email is not from HSBC and does not contain a legitimate payment document.
It is a phishing scam designed to steal your email account login credentials.
Clicking on what at first glance appears to be a PDF attachment actually opens a malicious website. Once on the fake site, you will be asked to log in with your email address and email account password.
Criminals can collect the details you supply and use them to hijack your email account along with any linked services that have the same login credentials.
Once they have gained access to your account, the crooks can use your email service to distribute scam, spam, and malware in your name. They may also be able to access and steal private documents and images that you have in an online storage service attached to your account. And, they may be able to make fraudulent transactions via your account’s app store.
Email phishing scams take many forms. Stay vigilant. It is always safer to log in to your online account via a trusted app or by entering the address into your browser’s address bar rather than by clicking a link in an unsolicited email.
A screenshot of the scam email:
Transcript of the scam email:
Subject: Payment Advice – Advice Ref:[G30883305169] / ACH credits / Customer Ref:[70307USF02118100] / Second Party Ref:[500000030117]
HSBC Advising Service ofsrep.ceosmuigw@hsbc.com via ushadvisors.com
SWIFT #08452019.pdf
391 KB
1 attachments (total 75.1 KB)Dear Sir/Madam,
The attached payment advice is issued at the request of our customer. The advice is for your reference only.
Yours faithfully,
USA HSBC North America Holdings Inc.
****************************** ****************************** ***************This is an auto-generated email, please DO NOT REPLY. Any replies to this
email will be disregarded.****************************** ****************************** ***************
Security tips1. Install detection software and personal firewall on your computer. This software needs to be updated regularly to ensure you have the latest protection.
2. If you discover any unusual activity, please contact the remitter of this payment as soon as possible.
****************************** ****************************** ***************
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
