Online users who have received the email messages like the one below thanking them for their so-called response and asking them to click on a link in the same messages to view their Alibaba Purchase Order, are asked to delete the messages and should not follow the instructions in them. The email messages are fake being sent by cyber criminals to trick the recipients into visiting a fake/phishing Alibaba website where they will be asked to sign-in. But, any attempts to sign-in will result in their Alibaba account credentials being sent to the cybercriminals behind the scam.
A Sample of the "Alibaba Purchase Order" Phishing Scam
[No Subject]
Wed 12/07/2017 14:22
From: Fatoumata Rahim
Thanks for the response to our message.
please click on our Alibaba Purchase Order link; http://goldenmoonelec.000webhostapp.com/ log in with your valid E-mail and password, it will automatically redirect you to our ALIBABA PO page where you will see the specific brand, drawing and description of the product, to see the products and quantities we needs and quote your best selling price by issuing us Proforma Invoice accordingly.
We expect to hear from you shortly to enable us offset with the purchase arrangement / agreement once the price is competitive and we get your assurance on the quality of the products okay.
Best Regards,
Mr Moon Williams
Once the cybercriminals have gotten their potential victims' Alibaba accounts, they will gain access to, hijack their accounts, and use them fraudulently. Therefore recipients who have been tricked by the phishing scam are asked to change their Alibaba account passwords immediately before their accounts are hijacked and used fraudulently.
This is why online users should not click on a link in an email message to sign into their Alibaba accounts. They should instead go directly to Alibaba's website at https://www.alibaba.com/ and sign-in from there. Once they have signed into their accounts, they will be able to view products and important notifications if there are any.