How to identify scams like "American Express - Your Account Is Temporarily Limited"

What is "American Express - Your Account Is Temporarily Limited" scam email?

We have reviewed the email and determined that it is a phishing message disguised as a security notification from American Express. It is created to appear urgent and important to trick recipients into opening a fake website and entering personal information. This and similar scams should be ignored.

More about the "American Express - Your Account Is Temporarily Limited" scam email

This message is a fraudulent notice claiming to be from American Express. It informs the recipient that their account has been temporarily restricted due to a security concern and requests that they complete a verification process. The email entices the recipient to click a verification link ("Complete Verification" button).

It claims that doing so will restore full access and remove a security flag. However, clicking the provided link leads to a fake American Express site designed to steal login credentials. If scammers steal someone's login credentials, they can try to log in and take control of the account.

They can view personal or financial details stored inside the account. They might use the account to make unauthorized purchases or transfers. They can also use the stolen login to target other connected accounts (e.g., email, social media, or gaming). This can lead to various issues, from identity theft to monetary loss. Thus, emails of this type should be ignored.

Conclusion

The purpose of this phishing attempt is to trick the recipient into clicking a fake verification link and entering their login credentials. Once scammers obtain those credentials, they can access the account, view sensitive information, make unauthorized transactions, and potentially compromise other linked accounts.

Sometimes, emails like this one can be used to distribute malware. Some examples of similar scams are "Webmail Server Report", "Check Inbox Failed Messages", and "Held Messages — Action Recommended".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals frequently use email to deliver malicious software by sending infected files or directing users to deceptive sites via links. Attachments in such emails can be PDFs, Word files, executables, or ZIP/RAR archives, as well as other types of files that contain hidden malware that runs after opening or taking additional actions.

Clicking a link can also lead to fake sites that automatically download malware or persuade the user to download and execute it.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat suspicious emails carefully, especially if they contain files or links. Do not interact with attachments or URLs that might be harmful. Use a reputable security program and scan your device for threata regularly. Ensure your operating system, web browser, and apps are always up to date. Never download cracked software or keygens.

Also, avoid interacting with ads and pop-ups on dubious sites and block notification requests from web pages of this kind.

Text presented in the "American Express - Your Account Is Temporarily Limited" email letter:

Subject: Security Hold: Action Needed to Restore Full Account Access.

American Express Alert - New Additional Card Member

-,

Your Account is Temporarily Limited – Complete Verification.

We are providing this security measures to protect you from an unauthorised use.

We have temporarily restricted your account due to security concern. This measure ensures the safety and security.

To ensure the security of your account and protect against unauthorized use, we need to verify the authenticity of your card account.

To resolve this issue, please, try to do the following

Complete Verification

Please finalize the verification, Upon completion, your account will be automatically unflagged.

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Quick menu:

• What is American Express - Your Account Is Temporarily Limited 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?

If you receive a scam email, it likely means your email address was added to a list that fraudsters use. Such emails are generic and sent to numerous recipients at the same time.

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

When login credentials are submitted to a fraudulent page, the first step is to reset those account passwords immediately. If other sensitive data, like banking or ID information, was exposed, contact the appropriate institutions.

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

Opening a malicious .exe file can immediately deploy malware on a device. Word and Excel files are less risky, but enabling features like macros can allow malware to run. The likelihood of infection depends on the file type and taken actions.

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

Viewing an email alone does not infect a device. Threats happen only when the user interacts with harmful files or links inside the message.

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

Combo Cleaner is capable of removing a wide range of malware. Performing a full system scan is highly advisable to detect more serious or harder-to-detect threats.