How to identify fake "Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy" emails

What kind of email is "Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy"?

Our inspection of the "Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy" email revealed that it is spam. This message is presented as an alert concerning changes to the email service's terms and policies. The spam mail aims to deceive recipients into disclosing their account log-in credentials to a phishing website.

"Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy" email scam overview

This spam email claims that last month, the recipient was notified of the upcoming changes to the mail service's terms of service and privacy policy. The message gives a deadline for confirming the changes. If the recipient does not consent to the updated terms and policies, they will no longer be able to access their email account. If declining the changes is the recipient's choice, the email suggests getting a copy of the mail data through the provided link.

It must be emphasized that the information in this message is false, and this email is not associated with any genuine service providers.

The phishing site endorsed by this spam campaign impersonates the recipient's email account sign-in page. Log-in credentials (or other data) entered into such a website are recorded and sent to scammers.

Hijacked accounts can be variously abused. Cyber criminals may even attempt to steal the accounts registered through an email (e.g., social networking, social media, messengers, chats, entertainment services, e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

Scammers can steal account owners' identities and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious links or files. Finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Big Lotto", "Online Webmail Deactivation", "Deezer Email Scam", "Google Anniversary Award", and "Webmail Password Validation" are merely a few of our newest articles on phishing campaigns.

This mail primarily targets log-in credentials, personally identifiable information, and finance-related data. It must be mentioned that spam campaigns are used to promote various scams and to proliferate all kinds of malware.

Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing virulent files. They can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. Infectious files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening a malicious file can be enough to trigger the infection chain. However, some formats require additional user interaction to jumpstart malware infiltration processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., content/editing), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We recommend vigilance with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

However, malware is not spread exclusively via spam campaigns. Therefore, we advise being careful while browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and dangerous content.

Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and verified sources. Software must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is essential for device integrity and user safety to have a dependable antivirus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats/issues. 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 "Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy" spam email letter:

Subject: ********* Mailbox Account On Hold

********* Subscriber

We emailed you last month to let you know about changes we are making to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. These changes are key steps towards creating what's next for our consumers, like you, while empowering them with transparency and controls over how and when their data is used.
In order to continue to access your Mailbox after May. 26th 2025, you will need to confirm you accept the Terms of Service.

Start Now If you do not want the new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to apply to you, you will no longer be able to access your account from May. 26th 2025. If you would like the contents of your email account, you may obtain a copy of your data by clicking here

Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Webmail Customer Service

Acceptable Use Policy |
Privacy Policy |
Help | Webmail

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy" phishing email?
• 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?

Spam emails are not personal, even if they include details relevant to the recipients. Cyber criminals send out these messages by the thousand 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 provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

No, reading an email will not trigger any malware download/installation processes. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

If the opened file was an executable – most likely, yes – the device was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document. These formats may need extra interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded files/links, etc.) to initiate infection processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Note that running a complete system scan is paramount since high-end malicious software tends to hide deep within systems.