How to spot scams like "WordPress Email Address Verification"

What is "WordPress Email Address Verification"?

We have examined the email and discovered that it is a fake email address verification notification. The scammers spreading this email aim to lure recipients to a fake website. Their goal is to steal personal information through that site. This email should be ignored to avoid potential threats.

More about the "WordPress Email Address Verification" scam email

This email contains a fake WordPress verification notice sent to trick the recipient into believing they must confirm the email address for a website. It includes the recipient's email address and claims that the address may differ from his personal one. The message encourages the recipient to click a confirmation link ("Confirm email" button).

That link leads to a fake website posing as a legitimate email account login site. It may mimic the appearance of the recipient's email provider. The goal is to trick visitors into entering their email addresses and passwords. Scammers can use this information to access email accounts and possibly other online services.

Typically, when scammers hijack email accounts, they search for personal information within emails, send scam emails to others, distribute malware, or engage in other malicious activities. Additionally, scammers may attempt to use the stolen login details to access social media, gaming, banking, or other accounts, and misuse them to steal identities, money, or for other malicious purposes.

It is highly advisable to examine emails before responding or entering information on websites included in them, especially if these emails seem suspicious (e.g., irrelevant and from unknown addresses).

Conclusion

This scam email pretends to be a WordPress verification request. It provides a fake login page designed to steal email credentials. If successful, scammers can access the victim's accounts, gather personal information, and misuse it for further fraud. Recipients should always be cautious with unexpected emails.

More examples of similar scams are "Roundcube Pending Messages Email Scam", "Issue With Message Delivery To Your Account Email Scam", and "Security Notifications - Email Service Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors frequently use email to spread malware, either through infected attachments or links to malicious websites. Attachments can include compromised documents, executable files, compressed archives, scripts, or other file types that trigger malware when opened or when features like macros are enabled.

Fraudulent emails can also take users (via the included links) to fake websites that automatically download malware or prompt users to download it manually. In general, devices become infected when users engage with links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Regularly install updates for your operating system, browser, and apps. Be cautious with unexpected or suspicious emails, particularly those containing attachments or links, and do not open anything that appears to be questionable. Avoid clicking on ads or pop-ups on untrustworthy websites, and refrain from allowing such sites to send notifications.

Use trusted security software to run regular scans and detect possible threats. Refrain from downloading pirated programs, cracking tools, or key generators, and always obtain software from official websites or authorized app stores.

Text presented in the "WordPress Email Address Verification" email letter:

Subject: [********]: Please confirm to continue.

WordPress Email address verification

Please verify that the email address for this website ******** is still correct.

Current email address: ********

This email may be different from your personal email address.
Confirm email

Fake website used in this phishing email:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake WordPress Email Address Verification request?
• 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?

This email is part of a scam targeting multiple addresses and is not personal. Your address was likely obtained from a data breach, compromised site, or another source.

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

If someone else gained access to your login details, change the passwords for all relevant accounts immediately. When financial or personal identity data is involved, notify the responsible institutions.

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

Malware can spread through different file types. Executable files, such as .exe, can infect a system as soon as they are opened, while documents are usually less risky unless they contain enabled features like macros. The likelihood of infection depends on the file type.

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

Simply opening an email does not put your device at risk. Threats occur only if you click a malicious link or open an infected attachment.

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

While Combo Cleaner removes the majority of malware, performing a full scan ensures that no hidden threats remain.