Spam trends of the week: Crypto giveaways, false prophets, Fintech phishing scams and more hit user inboxes worldwide

Curious about the latest email scam trends targeting consumers worldwide? You’ve come to the right place.

Bitdefender Antispam lab researchers sift through billions of unsolicited and scam emails to update you on the most recent scams targeting your accounts, wallets and overall livelihood.

Here’s a list of this week’s top email scam picks, courtesy of our illustrious Bitdefender Antispam researcher Viorel Zavoiu:

Personal loans for Revolut users in France

The most recent scam campaign impersonating Revolut targets users in France looking to take out a personal loan with the Fintech company. The cybercriminals pose as financial consultants with the company and offer recipients access to private loans ranging from 10,000 to 10 million Euros. They aim to trick people into giving out their account credentials and other personal details.

Here's a digital translation of the above message:

“REVOLUT is intended to grant short and long-term private personal loans ranging from 10,000 Euros to 10,000,000 Euros to any serious, reliable and honest person wishing to obtain a bank loan.

The annual APR interest rate of this offer varies from 0% to 2% per year depending on the amount loaned and the duration of return of funds, because being an offer of private personal credits, we must not violate the law on financial wear and tear.”

Cybercrooks want access to Klarna accounts in Germany

Payment solution Klarna is another of the impersonated financial service brands exploited by scammers this week. The short notification message urges recipients to update their Klarna account immediately by clicking on an embedded link. The note is another clear example of how scam messages convey a sense of urgency to recipients without necessarily stating negative consequences or that your account was compromised.

More financial phishing on the horizon: Cash App and Wise

Scammers impersonating money-transfer apps like Wise and Cash App target users with messages that attempt to trick them into verifying or updating accounts to ensure they benefit from the latest safety measures or features. The goal is to access users’ accounts and steal their money.

Did someone say “crypto”? Fake Binance giveaways and Pepe Airdrop

Feeling lucky this week because the founder of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange wants to give you 100 BTC? Well, it’s just another scam.

Cybercrooks impersonating Binance’s CEO want you to trust the fraudulent message and reach back so they can trick you into giving out your data or paying ‘small’ transfer fees to receive a huge payout.

Phony airdrops are another popular way for scammers to drain the crypto wallets of unwary victims. This week’s chosen airdrop scam baits the crypto community with a fake PEPE airdrop email asking unsuspecting recipients to connect their digital wallets and receive a token of the popular meme.

Advance-fee scam from the King of England

The most common confidence trick comes in the form of an advance-fee scam. However, this time, there’s no Nigerian Prince, financier, or CEO who wants to share their fortune with you.

Fraudsters make bold claims in the scam email below, stating that the UK’s monarch, King Charles III, wants to give 750,000 pounds to “100 people across the globe.” You, of course, are one of the lucky winners whose email address was “selected through a ballot.”

To add even more credibility to the ruse, the message appears to be sent from Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley. All you need to do is act quickly and send your full name, address, phone number, and a copy of your ID.

‘I had a vision about you,’ says a prophetess from South Africa

The internet is full of charlatans and false prophets who claim to have divine powers that can help you become rich and famous or fight against the “evil shadows” around you.

User inboxes were also flooded with phony messages from a gifted prophetess from South Africa. She claims to have over 20 years of experience helping individuals with many issues, including court cases and soul healing. After making very bold claims and describing her vision about you and many others, the prophetess invites recipients to contact or call a WhatsApp number and plan a visit to her temple.

If you receive the message below, do not contact the phone number or reply to the sender. It’s just another scam to steal your time and money.

Cybercriminals posing as hospital representatives offer to buy kidneys from UK and US recipients

Email scams take a darker turn in the following scam sample, as cybercriminals pose as representatives from healthcare institutions in India offering to pay you over a quarter million dollars for one of your kidneys.  This is just another ploy targeting individuals who are struggling financially in an effort to steal personal and financial information.

Any interested party is advised to contact the hospital via WhatsApp or email. The cybercriminals will most likely start asking for various personally identifiable information, including copies of IDs and passports, to begin the donor process and alleged payments.

We urge all recipients to never communicate with scammers. Report the email and delete it immediately.

Bust scams and scammers with Bitdefender to keep your identity and online accounts safe from cybercriminals

Online scams come in many shapes and sizes, and fraudsters frequently adapt and come up with new ways to con you and your loved ones.

Use Bitdefender Scamio our AI-powered scam detector to determine in minutes whether any unsolicited correspondence is a potential scam. Describe the situation to Scamio, send a link, text or screenshot, and Scamio will analyze the information and respond. You can access Scamio for free on any device or operating system via web browser, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

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