How to recognize fake "Roundcube Pending Messages" emails

What kind of email is "Roundcube Pending Messages"?

After inspecting this "Roundcube Pending Messages" email, we determined that it is fake. It is a phishing scam targeting email account log-in credentials (passwords) by claiming that multiple messages failed to reach the inbox.

"Roundcube Pending Messages" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Urgent message 11/17/2025 4:27:21 p.m." (may vary) is presented as an alert from the Roundcube email client "customer service". It claims that eight emails are pending due to "blockage". The message instructs to click the provided link, release the undelivered emails, and rectify the issue. It must be emphasized that the information in this message is false, and this mail is not associated with Roundcube.

At the time of our inspection, the phishing site endorsed by this campaign was down. However, this could be addressed in potential future releases (i.e., emails will redirect to a functional webpage). Typically, spam mail of this kind promotes phishing websites presented as email account sign-in pages (e.g., Roundcube). These webpages operate by recording entered data and sending it to scammers.

Hijacked emails can be used for a variety of malicious activities; cyber criminals may even attempt to steal linked accounts, platforms, and services (e.g., social media, messengers, entertainment, e-commerce, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

To expand upon this, 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.

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Roundcube Pending Messages" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have disclosed your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Your Mail Is On Hold", "Account Update Required", and "Webmail Login Activity" are merely a couple of our newest articles on phishing emails. Aside from log-in credentials, these messages commonly targeted personally identifiable information and financial data.

However, various scams are promoted through this type of mail. It is also used to distribute all kinds of malware (e.g., ransomware, trojans, cryptominers, etc.).

Spam emails are often poorly written and full of spelling/grammatical mistakes, but they can be competently put together and believably disguised as messages from legitimate identities. Therefore, we strongly advise vigilance with incoming emails and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malspam is a widely used malware proliferation technique. It involves infectious files that are attached to or linked inside the spam emails/messages. These files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

The infection chain is jumpstarted once such a file is opened. However, some formats require additional interaction to initiate malware infiltration processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., content/editing), while OneNote documents require them to click embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages must be approached with care. We advise against opening attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant communications, as they may be virulent.

However, malware is not spread only through spam campaigns. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing, as the Internet is full of deceptive and dangerous content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. Programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal software activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.

We must stress the importance of having a reputable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to perform 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 "Roundcube Pending Messages" spam email letter:

Subject: Urgent message 11/17/2025 4:27:21 p.m.

Roundcube
Customer Server Message

Dear ********,

You have 8 important pending messages roundcube DNS servers, due to blockage

Here's what to do next:

Follow the link below review them
Release them
Fix this issue

Review Important Messages and Fix Issue Now

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Roundcube Pending Messages" 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 information that spam emails may include, these messages are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in large-scale campaigns with the hopes 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. However, if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, credit 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 poses no 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?

File format may influence infection success rates. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) – might need additional interaction. In these instances, infection processes are triggered after macros are enabled, embedded content is clicked, or other actions are performed.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove practically all known malware infections. It must be emphasized that performing a complete system scan is essential since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems.