GlobalGuard has intercepted a new phishing campaign impersonating Intuit QuickBooks that attempts to steal victims' account credentials by directing them to a fake login page designed to harvest usernames and passwords. Unlike many phishing campaigns that rely solely on deceptive emails, this attack uses a polished HTML email and a staged credential‑capture flow that mimics genuine QuickBooks interfaces. The scam leverages convincing branding, realistic payment details, and urgency cues to trick recipients into entering their login information.
The phishing email claims that a payment for a QuickBooks invoice has been successfully received, using the subject line:
Payment Received — Invoice #INV‑xxxx Has Been Paid
The message appears professional and includes a detailed payment summary, complete with amount, transaction ID, payment date and payment method. A prominent “View Receipt” button urges recipients to review the payment.
The email attempts to build trust by imitating legitimate QuickBooks payment confirmation templates. However, the sender information reveals clear anomalies:
Display name: Qbo Payments
Display address: info(at)hiperofficesalamanca(dot)com
Actual sending address: Unique per message, following the pattern info+<UUID>_vt1(at)bounce-zem.hiperofficesalamanca(dot)com
Clicking the button leads victims to a phishing site that begins a multi‑step credential harvesting process
Recipients who click the link are taken to a convincing QuickBooks login page.
The first page requests the user’s email or user ID, replicating the layout and branding of the legitimate Intuit sign‑in screen.
After entering their username, victims are taken to a second page prompting them to enter their Intuit password.
Example phishing content shown using Quickbooks branding. Not affiliated with Quickbooks.
Once credentials are submitted, the phishing site displays a “Please wait…” loading screen that never progresses.
Example phishing content shown using Quickbooks branding. Not affiliated with Quickbooks.
This behaviour is consistent with credential‑harvesting attacks where the backend has already captured the victim’s details, and no further interaction is required.
Several aspects of this campaign demonstrate a higher‑than‑average level of sophistication.
Most notably, the attackers:
Use professionally designed phishing pages that closely imitate Intuit’s login flow.
Personalise sender information by displaying “Qbo Payments” to appear more believable.
Rotate sending addresses using unique UUID‑based identifiers to evade simple blocklists.
Provide realistic payment details to reduce suspicion and encourage quick action.
Combined with a staged login process and a post‑submission loading screen, these techniques create a seamless experience intended to minimise user suspicion.
GlobalGuard advises all recipients of these emails to delete them immediately without clicking on any links. Responding or providing personal details can lead to identity theft, data breaches, and financial losses.
Reach out to speak to a GlobalGuard expert about securing your inboxes against advanced, malicious email-borne threats with our AI-powered email security solutions.