“Negligent Driving”; Infringement Notice Malware Email

The email is not a genuine infringement notice. Clicking the link downloads a malicious JavaScript file that can install malware on your computer. Details in different versions of the emails may vary. If you receive one of these fake infringement notice emails, do not click any links or open any attachments that it contains.

According to this email, which is supposedly an official traffic infringement notice, you have received a fine for negligent driving. The email includes the date that the supposed infringement occurred as well as the amount due for the fine and other details. It explains that you can click a link to see “photo proof” of the infringement.

However, the email is not a legitimate traffic infringement notice and the link does not open a photo of the supposed incident. In fact, the email is a criminal ruse designed to trick you into installing malware on your computer.

If you click the link, a JavaScript (.js) file will be automatically downloaded. If you open this.js file, a malicious JavaScript will then download and install malware on your computer. The exact nature of this malware payload may vary. It may be ransomware that is designed to encrypt the files on your computer and then demand that you pay a fee to online criminals to receive the decryption key. Or the malware may be designed to steal sensitive information such as banking passwords from the infected computer.

Details, such as the amount of the supposed fine, the infringement date, and the name of the staff member who supposedly sent the notice may vary in different incarnations of the emails. And, over the last several years, criminals have repeatedly used fake traffic infringement notice emails to trick people into installing malware.

If you receive this email or any message similar to it, do not click any links or open any attachments that it contains.