How to recognize scams like "Critical E-Mail Notice"

What kind of scam is "Critical E-Mail Notice"?

Our team has inspected the email and concluded that it is a phishing attempt posing as a "critical email notice". Like most phishing emails, it includes a link to a fake website. Scammers use this email to trick recipients into entering personal information on the deceptive page.

More about the "Critical E-Mail Notice" scam email

This email claims that there is a critical problem with the recipient's incoming mail. It states that 15 (the number might vary) messages are stuck on the server due to a server error. It urges the recipient to click a link to fix the issue and resume receiving emails. It is signed by an email support team to appear legitimate.

The link ("FIX ERROR" button) leads to a website that imitates their email provider's interface. For instance, a Gmail user would be shown a fake Gmail sign‑in page. The purpose of this scam is to trick recipients into entering their email account login credentials (email address and password).

After gaining access to an email account, scammers can send fake messages to contacts, often including harmful links or attachments. Their emails can be used to steal money or information from others or distribute malware. Scammers may also search the inbox for sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or personal identification details.

Moreover, stolen email credentials might be used to break into other accounts, including online banking, social media, or gaming platforms, potentially resulting in financial loss, identity theft, or further breaches. Being cautious with suspicious emails is crucial to prevent these risks.

Similar scam emails in general

Scams like this try to trick recipients into exposing their email login details (or other information) by using fake alerts or login pages that look legitimate. Once scammers access an account, they can misuse it for malicious purposes, potentially causing financial loss and identity theft.

In some cases, deceptive emails can be used to deceive recipients into running malware on their devices. More examples of similar scam emails are "DHL Express Parcel Misplacement", "Routine Cleanup Of Unused Accounts", and "ICICI Bank - Payment Advice And Swift Copy".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors often exploit email to spread malware by attaching infected files, like executables, Office or PDF documents, scripts, or compressed archives like ZIP and RAR. Opening these files or taking additional steps, like enabling macros, can compromise the device (infect it with malware).

Emails can also contain links to fraudulent or compromised websites that automatically download malware or trick users into downloading (and executing) it themselves. In both cases, the infection happens when the recipient engages with the attachment or clicks the link.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download software only from official sources or reputable app stores, and steer clear of pirated programs, cracks, or keygens. Be cautious with emails or messages from unknown senders - avoid clicking links or opening attachments in unexpected or suspicious messages. Avoid interacting with ads, pop-ups, or buttons on untrustworthy websites.

Do not agree to receive notifications from suspicious pages. Keep your operating system, applications, and antivirus software up to date. Perform regular security scans to protect your device.

Text presented in the "Critical E-Mail Notice" email letter:

Subject: INCOMING E-MAIL SERVER ERROR ********

CRITICAL E-MAIL NOTICE

Mail Delivery Error on ********

Your incoming emails (15) are stuck on the server.

This is due to a ******** server error. Fix error below to receive your emails

FIX ERROR

Thank You
E-mail Support - ********

Phishing website used in this scam (the site mimic's the recipient's service provider):

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Critical E-Mail notice?
• 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?

These emails are often generic and not addressed personally. Scammers distribute them to large numbers of recipients, using email addresses collected from data breaches, fake sign-ups, or other sources.

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

Update any passwords that might have been exposed, and notify your bank and appropriate authorities if personal or financial information could be at risk.

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

Executable (.exe) files can infect a system as soon as they are opened, but documents and other files usually require the user to take action (for example, enabling macros) before malware can execute. Thus, whether a system is infected depends on the file and how it was interacted with.

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

Reading an email is not enough for malware to infiltrate a device. Malware only spreads if the user clicks a malicious link or opens a harmful attachment.

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

While Combo Cleaner can eliminate most malware, performing a complete system scan is recommended to uncover any sophisticated or concealed infections.