How to avoid falling for scams like "Server Support" fake email

What is the fake "Server Support" message?

We have examined the email and found that it is a fake notification claiming to be from the email provider. This fraudulent message also contains a link to a phishing website. Scammers behind this scam email aim to trick recipients into entering personal details on a fake web page. Recipients should ignore this email to avoid issues.

More about the "Server Support" scam email

This phishing email is disguised as a server support notification. It has a subject line indicating a failed delivery attempt and claims that incoming and outgoing messages are being withheld due to insufficient storage space. The message urges the recipient to take immediate action through links labeled "Download Pending Emails" and "Increase Storage".

During our analysis, the links in the email led to inactive websites. However, emails like this typically direct users to fake login pages designed to steal login details, such as usernames, email addresses, passwords, or similar information.

Cybercriminals who obtain stolen login details can access email, social media, and other online accounts. Once inside, they may harvest various information. They might also deceive others (e.g., people in contact lists) and distribute malicious software. If the same password is used on multiple accounts, scammers can hijack those accounts as well.

For these reasons, it is crucial to identify phishing emails and avoid entering personal information on suspicious websites.

Similar scam emails in general

These scams often involve fake alerts about certain issues and pressure users to click a link. These messages usually lead to phishing sites designed to steal login credentials or other personal information. Some may also contain attachments that inject malware when opened. Overall, it is important to recognize scam emails to avoid potential harm.

Some examples of similar scams are "Virus Intrusion Into Our Office 365 Webmail Server", "Mail Service 2025", and "Webmail System Maintenance".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals spread malware via email by including malicious attachments disguised as normal files, such as documents (e.g., MS Office or PDF docs), ZIP or RAR files, or executables. Opening these files or performing certain actions, like enabling macros, can trigger the malware to run on the device.

In other cases, these emails may include links to deceptive websites that trick users into downloading malicious software. Some of these sites can even start the malware download automatically when visited, without requiring any clicks.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Always download software and files from reliable sources, such as official websites or reputable app stores. Avoid clicking on ads, pop-ups, or suspicious buttons, and never give notification permissions to untrustworthy sites. Keep the operating system and installed apps up to date. Regularly scan your computer for threats using a reliable security tool.

Stay alert when receiving emails or messages, particularly those from unfamiliar senders or containing unexpected links or attachments. Also, never download pirated software, use cracking tools, or use keygens. 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 "Server Support" email letter:

Subject: Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender

Server Support For: ********

Your 1 Incoming & Outgoing messages are withheld by server due to storage insufficient space.

Actions Required Below.
Download Pending Emails Increase Storage

© ********. All rights reserved 2025.

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Quick menu:

• What is Server Support 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?

Scam emails are typically not targeted at specific individuals and contain generic content. Receiving one usually means the recipient's email address was obtained through a data breach, a fake sign-up form, or some other unreliable source.

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

If login details were sent to scammers, it is crucial to change the passwords for those accounts immediately. Any other accounts using the same or similar credentials should also have their passwords updated.

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

Running a malicious executable file can infect a system right after doing so. Other file types are safer, but they can still deliver malware, especially if users are tricked into taking additional actions, such as enabling macros in malicious documents.

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

Opening or reading an email without clicking any links or downloading attachments is safe. Most malware needs the user to take an additional action to infect the computer.

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

Combo Cleaner can identify and eliminate most known malware, but because some threats may be deeply embedded, running a full system scan is essential to ensure everything is fully removed.