How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Document Ready For Review" emails

What kind of email is "Document Ready For Review"?

Our examination of the "Document Ready For Review" email revealed that it is spam. This message is presented as a notification concerning a sent document. The goal is to deceive recipients into disclosing their email account log-in credentials (passwords) to a phishing site.

"Document Ready For Review" email scam overview

This spam email informs the recipient that they have been sent a document. They are requested to review the file as soon as possible. It must be emphasized that the claim made by this message is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or other entities.

The phishing site endorsed by this campaign is disguised as an email account sign-in page. Log-in credentials entered into it are recorded and sent to cyber criminals. Hijacked emails can be abused in various ways; linked accounts, platforms, and services (e.g., social networking, social media, messengers, cloud storage, entertainment, e-commerce, online banking, digital wallets, etc.) are also at risk of compromise.

Scammers can steal the account owner's identity and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious links or files. Stolen finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

In summary, by trusting an email like "Document Ready For Review" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials to a phishing website/file – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"HR Department Authorization Request", "Message Delivery Authorization Required", "Delivery Check Failed", "Authorization Required - Message Delivery Issue Notification", and "Interactive Brokers - Account Review Confirmation" are merely some of our newest articles on phishing emails.

Aside from log-in credentials, these messages often target personally identifiable information and financial data. It must be mentioned that spam mail is used to facilitate various scams and to proliferate all kinds of malware. Recipients' interest and trust are gained through lures, such as fake invoices/payments, business proposals, refunds, account issues, critical updates, expired passwords, pending messages, lotteries, inheritances, and others.

Due to how widespread spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – 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 infectious files as attachments or download links. These files can be archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

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

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious communications must not be opened, as they can be virulent.

However, malware is distributed using various techniques. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing, since fraudulent and malicious online content typically appears legitimate and innocuous.

Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and verified channels. Software must be activated and updated using genuine functions/tools, as illegal product activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.

We must stress the importance of having a dependable antivirus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats and 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 "Document Ready For Review" spam email letter:

Subject: Enclosed Important Document

Document Ready for Review
November 17, 2025

Hello,

You have received a new document that requires your attention. Please review the document at your earliest convenience.

View Document

If you have any questions, please contact us directly.

Important: This email contains a secure link to your document. Please do not share it with anyone.
This is an automated message from our document system. © 2025 Document Services, Inc.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Document Ready For Review" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Document Ready For Review" 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. In fact, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) messages, as they are distributed in large-scale campaigns.

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 information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

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?

Whether the device was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. Executables cause infections almost without fail (upon being opened). Some formats – such as documents – require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded links/files, etc.) to initiate processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a full system scan is paramount since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.