How to spot scam emails like "Email Termination Request"

What kind of scam is "Email Termination Request"?

Our team has reviewed the email and classified it as a phishing message. It is disguised as a notification from an email service and contains a link to a fake web page. Scammers use this email to extract personal information from unsuspecting recipients. It should be ignored and deleted.

More about the "Email Termination Request" scam email

The email claims that the recipient recently requested to terminate their email account and says the request will be processed shortly. It warns that if the recipient wants to keep their email data, they should cancel the termination request immediately by clicking a link.

If not canceled, the email account and all associated data will supposedly be deleted. The link in this email (labeled "STOP TERMINATION") opens a fake Webmail site. This page requests visitors to enter their email address and password to "log in". The entered information is sent to scammers.

If scammers get access to someone's email account login details, they can read private messages, send deceptive emails, and spread malware. If the same password is reused on other services, those accounts can also be at risk (can be accessed and misused).

Falling for such scams can result in identity theft, financial loss, and various other problems. That is why it is essential to stay cautious with suspicious emails and avoid entering personal details on the associated websites.

Similar scam emails in general

These emails are phishing scams designed to trick recipients into revealing personal information. They often use fake warnings, urgent notices, or similar messages to lure users into fraudulent websites designed to extract sensitive details. It is important to avoid clicking suspicious links and never enter personal information on untrusted websites.

Some examples of similar scams are "DocuSign Electronic Signature Request", "Cloud Storage Alert" , and "Access From A New Device To Your Mailbox". Sometimes, falling for such emails can lead to malware infiltration.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often distribute malware through email by attaching harmful files, such as PDF documents, Office files, executables (like .exe files), script files, or archives like ZIP and RAR. Malware can infiltrate after opening these files or taking additional steps, such as enabling macros in infected MS Office documents.

In other cases, attackers include a link in their emails. Clicking it may redirect the user to a malicious site designed to trick them into downloading malware, or it may begin the download automatically.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Always review emails and messages carefully, especially if they contain unexpected attachments or links and are sent from unknown or untrusted addresses/senders. Download software and files from official websites or app stores. Avoid using pirated software, unofficial activation tools, or key generators.

Keep your operating system and software up to date, and protect your device with reliable antivirus software. Also, avoid interacting with ads, pop-ups, buttons, links, and similar content on suspicious websites, and never allow such sites to send 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 "Email Termination Request" email letter:

Subject: Confirm Account Termination

Email Termination Request ...

Dear ********,

Our records indicate that " ******** " recently requested to terminate your email account and this request will be processed asap.

You are advised to cancel this request now if you wish to keep your email data safe.

STOP TERMINATION

However, if you do not cancel this request, your account will be terminated asap and all your email data will be lost permanently.

admin@ 2025
All rights reserved.

This message is auto-generated from the ******** admin server, and replies sent to this email cannot be delivered. This email is meant solely for: ********

Phishing page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Email Termination Request 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?

You received a scam email because your address was likely found through data leaks or obtained using other methods. These emails are sent to a large number of addresses - they are not personal.

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

If scammers have obtained your email account login credentials, change the password for your email account and other accounts that scammers could compromise.

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

If you ran an executable file, your computer is probably infected. However, opening a document (for example, a .pdf or .doc) usually is not enough to deploy malware, unless macros or other features were enabled.

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

Opening an email is safe and will not harm your device. The risk comes from clicking on links or opening attachments, which can lead to malware infections.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware threats. However, advanced malware often hides deep within the system, so performing a full system scan is strongly recommended.