How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Backup Your Email Address" emails

What kind of email is "Backup Your Email Address"?

After examining this "Backup Your Email Address" message, we determined that it is spam. It alerts the recipient of an upcoming server update that can cause data loss within the email account. This spam mail urges the recipient to provide their log-in credentials to a phishing site.

"Backup Your Email Address" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Urgent:Email Backup Required to Avoid Data Loss" (may vary) notifies the recipient of an upcoming server maintenance. They must review their account settings and ensure email data is backed up. If this action is not taken, the recipient risks permanent data loss.

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

The phishing site promoted by this spam campaign was down. Keep in mind that this could be rectified in potential future releases (i.e., emails will redirect to a functional webpage). The website was likely presented as an email account sign-in page. Log-in credentials entered into such webpages are recorded and sent to cyber criminals.

Hijacked emails can be variously abused; scammers may even attempt to steal connected accounts, platforms, or services (e.g., social networking, messengers, entertainment, e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

Work emails can be targeted with the intention of infecting the corporate network with trojans, ransomware, or other malware. Stolen finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam emails like "Backup Your Email Address" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft. If you have provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have written numerous spam campaigns; "American Express - Sign-in Attempt Was Blocked", "Version Of Your Mailbox Will Be Discontinued", "Email Storage Failure", and "Insufficient Storage Space" are merely a few of our latest articles on phishing emails.

Log-in credentials are not the only commonly targeted data – personally identifiable details and finance-related information are widely sought as well. It must be mentioned that other scams are also promoted through spam campaigns. Additionally, this mail is used to proliferate all kinds of malware.

Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is often spread through spam campaigns. These emails/messages include virulent files as attachments or download links. Infectious files can be executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once such a file is opened – the infection chain is triggered. Some formats require additional interaction to begin downloading/installing malware. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., content/editing), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Incoming emails and other messages must be approached with caution. We advise against opening attachments or links present in suspect/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or infectious.

However, malware is proliferated using various methods. Therefore, we recommend vigilance when browsing since the Internet is rife with deceptive and dangerous content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources. Software must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is essential to have a dependable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected 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 "Backup Your Email Address" spam email letter:

Subject: Urgent:Email Backup Required to Avoid Data Loss

Backup Your Email Address

We're notifying you about upcoming server maintenance scheduled by the IT department.

If you'd like to ensure continuity and security of your messages, please review your account settings and make sure your email data is backed up.

Backup Your Email Now

This step is mandatory and recommended to prevent data loss during scheduled Maintenance updates.

Thanks,
IT Service Maintenance Team

This message was sent to ********. If you have any questions, please contact your IT administrator.
© 2025 All rights reserved.

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Quick menu:

• What is "Backup Your Email Address" 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?

Regardless of any relevant details that spam emails may include, they are not personal themselves. Cyber criminals distribute these messages by the thousand hoping 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 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 other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding 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?

Whether the device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. Executables cause infections almost without fail (once opened). Some formats require extra interaction to initiate malware infiltration processes. For example, document formats may need users to enable macro commands or click on embedded files/links.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

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