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Avoid losing your email account via fake "Mailbox Restriction Notice" emails

Also Known As: "Mailbox Restriction Notice" phishing email
Damage level: Medium

What kind of email is "Mailbox Restriction Notice"?

After examining the "Mailbox Restriction Notice" email, we determined that it is spam used to run a phishing scam. This letter makes false claims regarding the suspension of the recipient's email account due to a lack of storage space. The aim is to promote a phishing site targeting email account log-in credentials.

Mailbox Restriction Notice email spam campaign

"Mailbox Restriction Notice" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "NOTICE: New Ticket No: [11 More] Incoming Mails Failed To Deliver To Your Mailbox [recipient's_email_account_address]" states that the recipient's email account has been suspended and restricted. The cause is that the inbox storage is 97% full. Therefore, the recipient cannot receive and send messages.

Furthermore, eleven emails have failed to reach the inbox and are currently pending. The letter informs the recipient that they can rectify this by clicking either the "Read Messages" or "Review Messages" buttons.

It must be emphasized that all the claims made by the "Mailbox Restriction Notice" email are false, and this letter is in no way associated with any service providers or other legitimate entities.

The buttons presented in this scam email redirected us to a phishing website that mimicked the sign-in page of Microsoft Bing's email. Despite the site's appearance, it is fake and designed to record entered data (i.e., email address and corresponding password). In addition to losing their emails, victims can have the content registered through them stolen.

To elaborate, scammers can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and distribute malware by sharing malicious files/links.

What is more, hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, cryptocurrency wallets, etc.) can be used to facilitate fraudulent transactions and/or online purchases.

In summary, victims of spam emails like "Mailbox Restriction Notice" can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – we advise immediately changing the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and informing their official support.

Threat Summary:
Name "Mailbox Restriction Notice" phishing email
Threat Type Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim Messages have failed delivery due to the recipient's inbox having been suspended and restricted.
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.
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Phishing spam campaign examples

We have inspected thousands of spam emails; "Alert! - Suspension Notice", "Payment Confirmation", "It Is Time For You To Reset The Password", and "Mailbox Failed To Receive New Messages" are merely a few examples of letters used for phishing.

Information that is most targeted includes log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related data. Spam emails can be variously disguised, including as messages from genuine service providers, companies, institutions, authorities, and other entities. Aside from various scams, these emails are also used to proliferate malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.).

Due to how widespread and potentially well-crafted spam mail can be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails can include malicious files in the form of attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

When an infectious file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the malware download/installation process is triggered. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands, while virulent OneNote files need users to click on embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise approaching incoming emails and other messages with care. The attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious. We recommend using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant while browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears genuine and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. Furthermore, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates may contain malware.

We must stress the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. 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 "Mailbox Restriction Notice" spam email letter:

Subject: NOTICE: New Ticket No: [11 More] Incoming Mails Failed To Deliver To Your Mailbox ********


05/24/2023 08:38 AM ******** Storage is almost Full: 97%

********


Dear ********,


Mailbox Restriction Notice!!
ATTENTION:  ********


Kindly Note: You have (11) New  incoming messages Suspended dut to low memory space


******** you can Fix this to read all Suspended emails


Read Messages
Review Messages


You will be briefly suspended from sending and receiving messages.
Under about 24hrs if no action is taken.


******** Registry......
Website:******** :Email:support@********
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Mailbox Restriction Notice" spam campaign:

Mailbox Restriction Notice scam email promoted phishing site

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Quick menu:

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing email icon 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.

Email-virus icon 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 email icon 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:

Example of an email spam

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?

Spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute them in large-scale campaigns with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.

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

If you have disclosed your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their official support. And if the exposed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, opening/reading an email is not enough to trigger any malware download/installation processes. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened.

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

If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was compromised. However, you might have avoided triggering an infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats can require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to start downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and remove threats. It can eliminate practically all known malware infections. However, running a full system scan is essential – since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

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