How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Security Notice - AI Assist Now Available" emails

What kind of email is "Security Notice - AI Assist Now Available"?

After examining this "Security Notice - AI Assist Now Available" email, we determined that it is spam. This message advises the recipient to implement an AI-powered security tool to secure their email account. The purpose of this spam campaign is to deceive recipients into disclosing their email log-in credentials to a phishing site.

"Security Notice - AI Assist Now Available" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Security Update: Optional AI Assist Now Available [recipient's_email_address]" (may vary) is offering the recipient an option to implement an AI (Artificial Intelligence) assistance tool to secure their email account. This tool enhances email protection by detecting deceptive links and phishing attempts, as well as preventing account injection. While implementing this "AI Assist" is not mandatory, it is strongly advised.

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

The phishing site promoted by this spam campaign imitates the recipient's email account sign-in page. Log-in credentials entered into this webpage are recorded and sent to scammers.

Hijacked emails can be variously misused; they tend to include sensitive data that can be utilized for a variety of nefarious purposes and may even open an avenue for stealing accounts, platforms, and services (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, entertainment, e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, etc.).

To elaborate, scammers can steal the account owner's identity and ask for loans or donations from the contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious links or files. What is more, stolen finance-related accounts can be used to make unauthorized transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, victims of spam emails like "Security Notice - AI Assist Now Available" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials to a phishing webpage – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Expiration Notification", "Promotion Of Powerball Lottery Organization 2025", "Session Expired", "Secure Your Cloudflare Account", and "Server Security Upgrade" are just a few of our latest articles on phishing emails.

Commonly targeted data includes log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information. Various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is used in malware proliferation.

Due to how prevalent these emails are and how well-disguised they can be – we highly recommend approaching incoming communications with caution.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is widely spread through infectious files that are attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files come in various formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

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

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise vigilance with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or virulent.

However, malware is not proliferated exclusively through spam campaigns. Therefore, we recommend exercising caution when browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and dangerous content.

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

We must stress the importance of having a reputable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats and 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 "Security Notice - AI Assist Now Available" spam email letter:

Subject: Security Update: Optional AI Assist Now Available ********

Security Notice

Dear ********,

To enhance your protection against deceptive links, phishing attempts, and account injection methods, we are offering the latest AI Security Assist.

While subscribing is optional, it is highly recommended to ensure your inbox remains secure and uninterrupted.

Subscribe Securely

Thank you for helping keep your account safe.

Regards,
Mailbox Admin

This message was sent by your Administrator.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Security Notice - AI Assist Now Available" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Security Notice - AI Assist Now Available" 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. These messages are distributed in mass-scale campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) emails.

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 data (e.g., ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

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

Opening/reading an email is harmless; devices 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?

File formats can influence infection success rates. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections without fail. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .doc, .pdf, etc.) – require additional interaction. Malware download/installation can be triggered after macros are enabled, embedded content is clicked, or other actions are performed.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing most of the known malware infections. Remember that performing a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.