How to recognize fake "Email On Hold" messages

What kind of email is "Email On Hold"?

Our inspection of the "Email On Hold" message revealed that it is spam. It informs the recipient that over a dozen messages failed to reach their inbox. With this lure, this phishing campaign aims to trick recipients into disclosing their email account log-in credentials.

"Email On Hold" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "EMAIL ONHOLD" (may vary) states that 13 messages did not reach the inbox and are currently pending. The recipient is urged to review these emails promptly. It must be emphasized that the claims made by this message are false, and this email is not associated with any genuine service providers.

Once a user clicks the "View Pending Emails" button in this message, they are redirected to a site imitating an email account sign-in page. This is a phishing website, a type of page designed to record provided data and send it to scammers.

Stolen emails can be abused in various ways; they tend to contain incredibly sensitive information and may open an avenue for hijacking connected accounts, platforms, and services (e.g., messaging, social media/networking, entertainment, e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, etc.).

To expand upon how the unauthorized access may be used, cyber criminals can steal the account owner's identity and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files. Furthermore, stolen finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam emails like "Email On Hold" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft. If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing site (or file) – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Insufficient Storage Space", "WeTransfer - Received Transfer Expired", "System Has Flagged Messages Due To Security Violations", and "ACH-EFT Processing Documents Verified" are just a few of our newest articles on phishing emails. They do not target log-in credentials exclusively, other information of interest includes personally identifiable details and financial data. However, various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is used in malware distribution.

Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we strongly advise vigilance with incoming emails and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing virulent files as attachments or download links. These files can be in various formats (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

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

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend exercising caution within incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant communications must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

However, malware is proliferated using various techniques. Therefore, we advise being careful while browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and malicious content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. All programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates may contain malware.

It is paramount for device/user safety to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove active and potential threats. 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 "Email On Hold" spam email letter:

Subject: EMAIL ONHOLD

EMAIL ONHOLD

You have unread emails awaiting your attention.

Unread Messages: 13 pending messages
Latest: Saturday, 28/09/2025 | 7:13:59 PM
Recipient: ********

View Pending Emails

Review and respond to pending messages promptly.

Organization: ********
This is an automated notification.

© 2025 ********. All rights reserved.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Email On Hold" spam campaign:

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Quick menu:

• What is "Email On Hold" 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 sent out in mass-scale operations – 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 compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you have disclosed information of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, 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 does not pose an infection threat; systems are compromised 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 cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats might need additional user interaction to begin downloading/installing malware. For example, documents may require users to enable macro commands, click embedded content, or perform other actions.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan systems and eliminate all kinds of threats. It can detect and remove most of the known malware infections. Remember that performing a full system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.