Fake Loan Offer Scam Attempt
A fake loan offer scam attempt has been caught by MailShark spam filters trying to trick receivers into applying for a loan. Their website will not lead to a virus, but is still deemed a dangerous scam to fall for. Purple Payday appears to be an unknown loan company – we have no information to prove their legitimacy and would advise extreme caution. This email could be related to a fraudulent loan application or a bank fraud related scam. Keep reading to find out more and be sure to delete it from your inbox if received.
Figure A shows the fake loan offer scam attempt email. It is a text heavy email that is branded quite reasonably. There are several pushy ‘Apply Now’ call-to-actions and several other malicious links. This unknown company claims to be offering short term loans of up to $1,500 however, there are several indicators that this email is not what it seems.
Links within the email navigate to a website with a similar URL to the supposed loan company, however appear extremely suspicious – you can check a link without clicking within the email by simply hovering over it. The subject line reads “Get a short term loan of up to $1500!”, which gets the attention of receivers, especially those in need of fast cash. The sender is shown as “PURPLE PAYDAY” and although the email address is somewhat related to the name, any legitimate business would use their official URL (which is much shorter than the one used).
Figure B is a safely captured screenshot of the webpage you will land on if any links within the email are clicked. It is an exact match to the email’s content and design – this could be a scam tactic or pure laziness. A reputable company would ensure their website was professional and user friendly. Do not click anywhere on this website and run your anti-virus and / or anti-malware software if you reach this page (just to be 100% safe).
Dangerous emails come in all kinds of different shapes, sizes, styles and contexts. MailShark are here to keep you safe online and advise you delete this email from your inbox. If you are looking for a loan use a reputable company you know and trust to avoid a scam risk.
Where in the world did the bulk of this Email come from?
Check out our Global Spam Sources page, for a World map of spam sources.
Steph Kent
MailShark
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