How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Renew Your Webmail Access" emails

What kind of email is "Renew Your Webmail Access"?

After reviewing this "Renew Your Webmail Access" email, we determined that it is spam. This message alerts the recipient that their Webmail version is due to expire soon, so they are urged to renew it to avoid service interruptions. The goal of this phishing campaign is to deceive users into disclosing their email account log-in credentials (passwords).

"Renew Your Webmail Access" email scam overview

This spam email states that the current Webmail version will expire soon. The recipient is encouraged to renew it to retain mailbox access, avoid service disruptions, and ensure security. It must be stressed that all the claims made by this message are false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers.

Pressing the "RENEW MY ACCOUNT NOW" button results in a redirect to a phishing website presented as an email account sign-in page. Phishing sites are designed to record entered data and send it to scammers. Thus, by attempting to sign in through the promoted webpage – victims unintentionally expose their accounts to cyber criminals.

Stolen emails can be variously abused; scammers may even try to hijack linked accounts, platforms, and services (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, entertainment, e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

By stealing the account owner's identity, the scammers may use it to request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links. Furthermore, hijacked finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam emails like "Renew Your Webmail Access" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials to a phishing website (or file) – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have written about countless spam campaigns; "Action Required On Your Email Account", "EFT Debit Release", "Alert Regarding Your System Credentials", and "UPS - Delivery Action Needed" are merely a few of our newest articles on phishing emails.

Commonly targeted information includes various log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and financial data. It must be mentioned that spam campaigns are used to promote a wide variety of scams, and they are employed in malware distribution.

While the widely held belief that spam emails are poorly written and full of spelling/grammatical mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently put together and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, institutions, authorities, etc.). Due to this, we strongly recommend vigilance with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing virulent files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Malware download/installation is jumpstarted once such a file is opened. However, some formats need additional user interaction to initiate infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Caution is essential when approaching incoming communications (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, etc.). We advise against opening attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or infectious.

It must be mentioned that malware is distributed using various methods. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and malicious content.

Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy channels. Software must be activated using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal product activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable antivirus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats/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 "Renew Your Webmail Access" spam email letter:

Subject: Action Required: Renew Your ******** Webmail Access !

Action Required: Renew Your Webmail Access

Dear ********,

Your current ******** Webmail version will expire soon.

As part of our ongoing improvements to service quality and security, all customers are required to renew their Webmail access to continue using Skyline/Skybest services without interruption.

Failure to complete the renewal may result in email disruptions or restricted access to your mailbox.

This process takes less than a minute and ensures your mailbox stays secure and fully supported.

RENEW MY ACCOUNT NOW

We strongly urge you to complete this step as soon as possible to avoid service delays.

Thank you for choosing ********.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Renew Your Webmail Access" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Renew Your Webmail Access" 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 information of such nature. Cyber criminals distribute these messages by the thousand with hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.

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

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you have provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

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

Reading an email is harmless; systems 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 may influence infection success rates. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.) – might need additional interaction. In these cases, malware infiltration is triggered after macros are enabled, embedded files/links are clicked, or other actions are performed.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner can scan systems and eliminate all kinds of threats. It is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a full system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.