How to identify phishing emails like "Your Account Will Be Cancelled"

What kind of scam is "Your Account Will Be Cancelled"?

Our analysis has shown that this email is a phishing scam disguised as an account cancellation notice. It is designed to deceive recipients into visiting a fake website and providing sensitive information. Messages like this should be identified as scams and deleted without clicking links or replying.

More about the "Your Account Will Be Cancelled" scam email

This scam email claims that the recipient's email account will be canceled unless it is verified within 24 hours. It states that the email will be blocked as part of anti-spam efforts. The message insists that verification is quick and mandatory and instructs the recipient to click a provided link to complete the process.

However, this is a phishing attempt designed to trick users into revealing their login information. During our inspection, the site used in this scam was down, but usually, such pages mimic login pages to steal email account login credentials. Once cybercriminals obtain these details, they use them to gather more information, access connected accounts, send phishing emails or commit identity theft.

Often, they attempt to infiltrate services such as banking platforms, social media accounts, gaming profiles, or other accounts using the stolen credentials. These attacks succeed when the victim uses the same login information across multiple platforms. Stolen data can also be sold on the dark web.

Thus, users should avoid engaging with suspicious emails and refrain from clicking links or opening attachments, as this can result in risks like financial loss.

Similar scam emails in general

Scam emails like this typically appear urgent and important to pressure recipients into taking immediate action. Their goal is to steal information by tricking users into entering login credentials or other details on fake websites or sending information directly via email. The safest response is to ignore and delete these messages.

Some examples of similar scams are "Incoming Messages Held In Quarantine", "Receipt Copy", and "Intuit QuickBooks Account Confirmation".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often send emails with malicious attachments to infect users' devices. These attachments might be executable files, Office or PDF documents, compressed files, scripts, disk images, etc. Opening these files or enabling certain features (like macros) can activate malware on the computer.

Sometimes, these emails do not have attachments but include links to fake or hacked websites. These sites may try to silently download malware or trick users into downloading harmful software themselves.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Exercise caution when receiving emails from unknown senders, especially if they are unexpected or irrelevant. Do not click on questionable links or open attachments without verifying their legitimacy. Always download programs from trusted sources such as official websites or verified app stores. Do not interact with pop-ups, advertisements, or links on suspicious sites.

Keep your operating system and all software up to date. Regularly use dependable antivirus tools to scan and protect your device from threats. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Your Account Will Be Cancelled" email letter:

Subject: WARNING: Your account will be cancelled 16 June 2025 .

Your account will be cancelled!
You will need to verify your email within 24 hours.

Dear -

This email will be blocked.
We don't want to block it, it's just a way to fight spammers.
This verification is quick and mandatory.
You must complete it within 24 hours.

Click here and verify your account.

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:

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.

Quick menu:

• What is Your Account Will Be Cancelled 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?

If you received a scam email, it likely means your email address was gathered from a data breach, fraudulent site, or another untrustworthy source. Usually, such emails are not personal - scammers send the same message to all recipients.

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

If you entered your login credentials on a scam website, update the passwords for any accounts that might be affected. If you are locked out of an account, reach out to the service provider's support team for assistance.

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

If the file you opened was an executable (such as a .exe), there is a high chance your device was compromised. However, if it was a document—like a PDF, Word, or Excel file—the risk may be lower, especially if it did not prompt you to enable macros or take other action.

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

Simply viewing an email will not infect your device with malware. However, interacting with it, such as clicking on links or opening attachments, can result in a malware infection.

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

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing most common malware infections. Because some threats hide deep within system files, running a full system scan is strongly advised to ensure thorough detection and cleanup.