How to recognize scams like "cPanel - Account Termination Request Verification"

What kind of scam is "cPanel - Account Termination Request Verification"?

We have analysed the email and determined that it is a phishing email posing as a notification from "cPanel Account Services". It also includes a deceptive link that directs to a fake website. The scammers behind this scam seek to steal personal information from unsuspecting recipients.

More about the "cPanel - Account Termination Request Verification" scam email

This phishing email states that a request to terminate the recipient's cPanel account has been received and processed. It provides fake details (e.g., case number, user ID, IP address, and the scheduled termination date and time). The email warns that all emails, website files, databases, DNS records, and backups will be permanently deleted after termination.

It urges the recipient to cancel the termination if they did not make the request and provides a contact email (security@stemal.com) for assistance. The email also includes cPanel's company address to appear legitimate. The purpose of this email is to trick recipients into clicking the provided link ("CANCEL TERMINATION REQUEST NOW" button).

The link opens a fake sign-in website designed to steal email addresses and passwords. Scammers can use stolen login credentials to access email, social media, banking, gaming, or other online accounts. Once inside, they can steal personal data, financial information, or other sensitive details.

They may also use the compromised accounts to send phishing messages or malware to others, make fraudulent purchases or transactions, and sell stolen information to third parties. To avoid the associated risks, suspicious emails like this one should be examined before opening links or providing personal information.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this phishing scam is designed to appear urgent and important to trick recipients into revealing their login credentials on a fake site. Users should be cautious, inspect questionable messages, and avoid clicking links or sharing information when receiving emails of this type.

More examples of similar scams are "Adobe Acrobat Sign Request", "Review Your Recent Activity", "Salary & Performance Award", and "DocuSign - Project Proposal & Quantity Confirmation". Emails of this kind can also be used to distribute malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is commonly distributed through email attachments such as executable files, Office documents, PDFs, scripts, or compressed archives (e.g., ZIP or RAR). Opening these files or enabling features like macros can lead to the infection of a device.

Additionally, emails can contain links to fake or compromised websites that either download malware automatically or trick users into downloading and running it themselves. In both cases, malware cannot infiltrate without user interaction.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Do not open files or click links in strange or unexpected emails or messages from unknown senders. Be careful on risky websites, and avoid clicking pop-ups, links, buttons, or ads while visiting such pages. Download programs only from reliable sources, such as official websites or app stores.

Do not accept notifications from suspicious sites, keep your device and security software up to date, and scan your system for potential threats regularly.

Appearance of the "cPanel - Account Termination Request Verification" scam email (GIF):

Text presented in the "cPanel - Account Termination Request Verification" email letter:

Subject: cPanel Services

******** cPanel Account Services
Case #: TKT-77482-DEACT
User ID: (UID-88742)

DEAR ********,
ACCOUNT TERMINATION REQUEST VERIFICATION

We have received and processed your request to terminate account ******** as of Tuesday, October 14, 2025 1:1 a.m.
Termination Details
Request Origin: 192.168.45.12
Scheduled Termination: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 1:1 a.m. UTC
Authentication Method: cPanel Webmail Interface
Consequences of Termination

Upon completion of this process, the following will occur:

All email accounts and messages will be permanently deleted
Website files and databases will be irrecoverably removed
DNS zone records will be purged from our nameservers
Backup snapshots will be deleted (including offsite backups)

CANCEL TERMINATION REQUEST NOW

If you did not initiate this request, Please contact our security team at security@stemal.com with reference #TKT-77482-DEACT.

cPanel, L.L.C. | 2550 North Loop West, Suite 4006, Houston, TX 77092, USA

This is an automated message. Please do not reply to this email. 2025 cPanel, L.L.C. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

Phishing page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake cPanel - Account Termination Request Verification 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?

Scammers often send phishing emails to numerous people using stolen or collected email addresses from data breaches, fake websites, or other sources. These messages are typically generic and not aimed at specific individuals.

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

Change all potentially affected passwords as soon as possible. If sensitive financial, identification, or other data is involved, alert your bank and (or) the relevant authorities.

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

Opening an executable can trigger an immediate infection, whereas harmful documents generally need additional actions, such as turning on macros, before the malware executes. Thus, whether a computer is infected depends on the opened file type.

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

Viewing an email alone will not harm your device. Malware can infiltrate only when recipients interact with infected attachments or suspicious links.

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

Combo Cleaner is effective at detecting and removing malware, but a complete system scan may be required to find and eliminate hidden infections.