How to spot scams like "Un-Received Incoming Emails" email scam

What kind of scam is "Un-Received Incoming Emails"?

We examined this email and learned that it is composed by scammers who aim to trick recipients into providing sensitive information. This email is disguised as a letter from an email service provider regarding pending emails. This and similar emails should be ignored.

More about the "Un-Received Incoming Emails" scam

The email claims that incoming emails are pending due to an email server error that occurred on the specified date and time. It says that those emails can be retrieved by clicking the "Retrieve 8 Emails" button. Clicking that button opens a phishing website.

That phishing website imitates the design of a legitimate email service provider (e.g., Bing, Google, Yahoo) accordingly to the recipient's email address. It is disguised as an email account login page. The purpose of that site is to trick visitors into providing their email account passwords.

Typically, scammers use obtained passwords to steal email accounts (and use them to access emails, send spam, deliver malware, etc.) and try to access other accounts. It is also common for stolen passwords or email accounts to be sold on the darknet.

Threat Summary:

Name	Un-Received Incoming Emails Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Eight emails are pending
Disguise	Letter from an email service provider
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Similar scams in general

There are many examples of emails pretending to be from legitimate companies or other entities used to extract sensitive information. Some of them are "Your Password Has Been Changed", "Your Email Has Been Restricted", and "Please Confirm Your Account".

Scammers use such emails to lure unsuspecting recipients into providing ID card information, credit card details, login credentials, etc. Also, they can use email as a tool to deliver malicious software (malware).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals behind emails used to deliver malware seek to trick recipients into opening malicious links or attachments provided in their emails. Computers become infected after users execute malicious files (or open infected pages).

Typically, threat actors use malicious MS Office, PDF documents, executable files, JavaScript files, ISO files, or archive files like ZIP and RAR to distribute their malware. It is important to mention that malicious MS Office documents cannot infect computers unless users enable macros commands (this does not apply to documents opened with MS Office released before 2010).

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download software (and files) from official pages. Do not use third-party downloaders, P2P networks, shady pages, etc., as sources for downloading programs or trust pop-up windows that offer to download software. Be skeptical about opening links or files sent from unknown addresses (especially when emails do not concern you).

Keep your computer and installed programs updated. Do not use third-party tools or features to update and activate any software. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Un-Received Incoming Emails scam" email letter:

Subject: ********* (8) Incoming mails are pending !!!

Un-Received (8) Incoming Emails

Your 8 important incoming emails are stuck on the ********* Email server.

A system error occurred at  Wednesday, October 12, 2022 9:10 a.m.

You can retrieve the 8 stuck emails with the button below.

Stuck emails will be deleted automatically from the system.
Retrieve 8 Emails

This message is strictly for the attention of *********

Screenshot of the phishing website:

Another example of an un-received mail-themed spam:

Text presented within:

Subject: ******** Verification Messages 0124803

 

This is a copy of a security alert sent to ********
e-Verify
Verify Your Account
********
Your 18 incoming emails are stuck on the ******** Email server.

Our system detected some unusual activities in your account.
As part of our security measures, we need your help resolving an issue with your account.
Verify Account

Stuck emails will be deleted automatically from the system.

Kindly understand that this is a security measure intended to protect your account.

Email is strictly for the attention of ********

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is Un-Received Incoming Emails phishing scam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

There is a high chance that there are hundreds of other people who received the same email. As a rule, scam emails are not personal. Most scammers use emails leaked after data breaches, provided on phishing pages, etc.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

If you have opened the phishing page sent by scammers and entered your password on it, change all passwords immediately. Especially if scammers can use that password to access more than one account.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

It depends on the file type. For instance, malicious executable files infect computers after they are executed. However,  malicious MS Office documents cannot cause harm unless users enable macros commands.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

It is safe to open emails without clicking links or opening attachments. Thus, your computer is not infected if you have left the file or link in an email used to deliver malware unopened.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing almost all known malware. It is important to know that high-end malware can be designed to hide deep in the system. For this reason, running a full system scan is a must.

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