How to spot scams like "Request To Cancel Your Webmail Account"

What is "Request To Cancel Your Webmail Account" scam?

Our team has reviewed the email and found that it contains a fake notification regarding a request to cancel an email account. The purpose of this phishing message is to steal personal information through a fake website. Recipients should ignore it to avoid the potential threats.

More about the "Request To Cancel Your Webmail Account" scam email

This phishing attempt is disguised as a Webmail account notification. It claims that a request to cancel the recipient's webmail account is in progress and urges the recipient to click a link to reactivate the account. The message also states that the link is valid for only one hour and can be used once.

Clicking the provided link leads to a fake website designed to appear as an email account sign-in site. It is worth noting that this deceptive page might mimic the appearance of the recipient's email service provider (e.g., Gmail or Yahoo Mail). The goal is to extract login credentials (email addresses and passwords).

Once scammers have these details, they can access email and possibly other accounts (e.g., social media, gaming, or banking). Scammers can misuse hijacked accounts to send deceptive messages, distribute malware, make fraudulent purchases, or exploit them for other malicious purposes.

Additionally, scammers can sell the stolen information to third parties (other cybercriminals). Thus, such emails should be ignored to avoid any of these threats.

Conclusion

This email is a fraudulent attempt to obtain login credentials by directing recipients to a counterfeit login page. Interacting with it can result in compromised accounts, misuse of personal information, and potential financial or reputational damage. Avoiding the email is the safest option.

In some cases, deceptive emails are used to distribute malware. A couple of examples of scam emails are "Purchase Order Request Email Scam", "Pretpark Tours Email Scam", and "HSBC - Invoice Details Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Email is a common method used by cybercriminals to deliver malware. These messages can contain malicious attachments, including documents (such as Microsoft Office or PDF files), executable files, compressed files, ISO images, or scripts, which can infect a device when opened or if certain features, like macros, are enabled.

In addition, fraudulent emails may include links to unsafe or hijacked websites that attempt to download malware automatically or trick users into downloading it themselves. Typically, a device becomes infected only if the user clicks a link or opens a malicious attachment.

How to avoid installation of malware?

When encountering emails or messages from unknown senders, especially those that are unsolicited or irrelevant, be cautious, particularly if they include links or attachments. Do not open files or links in such messages. For downloading software or files, use official websites and reputable app stores, and avoid pirated programs, cracks, or keygens.

Refrain from clicking on ads or pop-ups on untrustworthy websites, and deny any requests to enable notifications from such sites. Additionally, maintain security by keeping the operating system and applications up to date and performing regular scans with trusted security tools.

Text presented in the "Request To Cancel Your Webmail Account" email letter:

Subject: Sign-In Request to Webmail

Webmail

Sign-In Request to Webmail
Hello ********,

Your request to cancel your Webmail account is in progress. To sign in and reactivate your Webmail, click the button below. If you do not wish to sign in, please ignore this email.
Sign in to Webmail
This link will be active for an hour and can only be used once.
If you are experiencing difficulty with this link and require assistance, please contact your company program administrator.
Kind Regards, Customer Support, Webmail, Inc.

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Request To Cancel Your Webmail Account fake notification?
• 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?

Phishing emails are usually sent to lots of people at the same time. Scammers gather email addresses from places like data leaks or fake sign-up forms, then send their scam messages to everyone they can.

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

If login details are stolen, all accounts that might be affected should have their passwords changed. If an account cannot be accessed, the best step is to contact the service's support team for help.

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

The chance of having malware in the system varies by file type. Executable files like .exe can infect a device as soon as they are opened. Document files are generally safer, but if macros are turned on, they can also let malware into the system.

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

Simply viewing an email is safe. A device is only at risk if the user clicks harmful links or opens malicious attachments.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most malware, but doing a full system scan is advised to make sure any hidden or advanced threats are fully removed.