How to identify scams like "Verification Failed"

What kind of scam is "Verification Failed"?

Our analysis shows that it is a fake email presented as a notification regarding a failed verification. It is crafted to trick recipients into opening the included link and entering personal information. Emails of this type are classified as phishing messages. Recipients should recognize such emails and ignore them.

More about the "Verification Failed" scam email

This phishing email notifies the recipient that a reCAPTCHA verification attempt was unsuccessful and claims the system could not confirm they are a real user. It instructs the recipient to verify their identity by clicking a link labeled "Verify you're human". The message also includes a suggestion to contact support for assistance.

The provided link leads to a fake Roundcube website requesting to provide a username and a password (login details). Any credentials submitted on this page are harvested by scammers for malicious purposes. With the stolen credentials, scammers can gain access to the victim's accounts.

This allows them to read sensitive messages or collect other personal data, reset passwords for other online services, and impersonate the victim to launch phishing attacks. They may also use the compromised account (or accounts) to spread malware. Additionally, scammers may sell the stolen information to third parties.

Falling for this scam may cause issues like identity theft, reputational damage, monetary loss, and other problems. Recipients should be careful with emails of this type and never open links or files in them if they seem suspicious.

Similar scam emails in general

Scam emails like this are designed to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information by imitating legitimate services. They often appear urgent and important to pressure users into acting quickly without verifying their legitimacy. It is important to carefully inspect emails for signs of phishing and avoid clicking suspicious links or entering personal details on unknown websites.

Examples of similar scams are "Tour Organization", "Server Support", and "Access To Secure Document". It is important to note that deceptive emails are sometimes used to trick recipients into launching malware on their computers.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often spread malware through email by attaching seemingly harmless files such as Word documents, PDFs, ZIP archives, scripts, or executables. These attachments may look legitimate, but once opened, especially if the user enables macros or follows certain prompts, they can activate malware on the system.

Alternatively, the email may contain a link that directs the user to an unsafe website. Such sites can deceive visitors into downloading malicious files or programs or, in some cases, initiate an automatic malware download.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious of unexpected emails or messages, especially those from unknown senders that contain attachments or links. Pop-ups, ads, and other clickable content on suspicious websites should also be avoided. Use a trusted security tool to help detect and block threats.

Always keep your operating system and applications up to date. Download software only from reliable sources, such as verified app stores or official websites. Avoid pirated software, cracking tools, and keygens, and do not allow untrustworthy sites to send browser notifications. 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 "Verification Failed" email letter:

Subject: reCAPTCHA Check Unsuccessful

Verification Failed

We couldn't confirm that you're a real user..

Please try again to continue:

Verify you're human

Need help? Contact support.

Phishing website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Verification Failed 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?

Scammers usually send the same generic message to all recipients at once. If you have received one, your email address was likely collected through a data breach, fake registration form, or similar method.

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

If you have shared your login credentials, immediately change the passwords for all affected accounts.

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

Running a malicious executable can immediately infect a system. Documents and other files are safer, but they can still be dangerous if users are deceived into enabling macros or activating concealed malicious content in other ways.

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

Emails themselves are not dangerous. It is the malicious links or files they contain that can lead to malware infections

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware infections. However, advanced threats often hide deep within the system, so performing a full system scan is essential to ensure detection and removal.