How to recognize fake "iCloud Payment Method Declined" emails

What kind of email is "iCloud Payment Method Declined"?

After examining this "iCloud Payment Method Declined" email, we determined that it is fake. This spam message informs recipients that their cloud storage is full and the subscription payment failed. If it is not renewed within three days, the data saved in the cloud will be deleted.

It must be emphasized that this email is not associated with the real iCloud service. At the time of research, this spam campaign operated as an affiliate scam.

"iCloud Payment Method Declined" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "contact: Your iCloud account may get deactivated today [Wed,10 Dec-2025] due to non-payment." (may vary) informs the recipient that their payment has been declined. The iCloud account storage is full, and their data is no longer being backed up. Attempts to renew the monthly subscription with the registered payment method have failed.

The recipient is urged to update their payment information, as failing to do so within three days will result in the permanent deletion of their account and the data stored therein (e.g., contacts, documents, photos, videos, etc.).

It must be stressed that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is in no way associated with iCloud or its developer – Apple Inc.

Despite the scam message mentioning financial data, it did not redirect to a phishing site targeting this type of information during our analysis. The promoted site reiterated the claims made in the email. Pressing the button on this page redirected to the checkout site of a different cloud storage service – Total Drive.

Hence, this spam campaign operated as an affiliate scam. By endorsing genuine services or products through such deceptive tactics, scammers seek to obtain illegitimate commissions by abusing the promoted content's affiliate programs.

It is noteworthy that this spam email could redirect to a phishing website targeting finance-related information, such as credit/debit card numbers. Cyber criminals may then use the exposed data to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting a scam email – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have disclosed your personally identifiable or financial data to scammers – immediately contact the appropriate authorities. And if you've provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.

Spam campaigns in general

Spam campaigns are used to promote various scams, not just affiliate ones. Other commonly endorsed scams include phishing, refund, sextortion, and tech support. This mail is also used to proliferate trojans, ransomware, and other types of malware.

"Your Email Has Been Flagged As A Spam Sender", "Webmail - IMAP Authentication Process Issue", "Security Warning", "Standard Bank Account Statement", "View Remittance Details", "Unclaimed Prize Money", "Energy Australia - Please Cross Check The Invoice", and "DHL - Soft Copies Of Your Shipping Documents" are merely some of our newest articles on spam emails.

These emails are often poorly written and full of grammatical/spelling mistakes. However, they can be competently put together and convincingly disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, institutions, authorities, etc.). Therefore, we strongly advise vigilance with incoming communications.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malspam is a widely used malware distribution technique. It involves attaching or linking (download links) malicious files to the emails/messages. These files come in different formats, such as archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and others.

Merely opening an infectious file can be enough to trigger the malware infiltration process. However, certain formats require additional user interaction. 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 highly recommend approaching incoming emails and other messages with care. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant communications must not be opened, as they can be deceptive or spread malware.

However, it must be mentioned that malicious software is not distributed exclusively via spam campaigns. Therefore, we advise vigilance when browsing, as the Internet is full of fake and malicious content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. All programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal software activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

It is paramount to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove active and potential threats. 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 "iCloud Payment Method Declined" spam email letter:

Subject: contact: Your iCloud account may get deactivated today [Wed,10 Dec-2025] due to non-payment.

Payment Method Declined

Dear Customer,

Your cloud storage is full, and your photos, videos, contacts and documents are no longer being backed up.

We attempted to renew your monthly subscription using your default payment method, but the transaction was unsuccessful.

Action required: Please update your payment information immediately. Failure to resolve this within 3 days will result in the permanent deletion of your personal data.

Update Payment Information

If you recently updated your payment, please disregard this message.

Screenshot of the website promoted by the "iCloud Payment Method Declined" spam campaign:

Appearance of the redirect caused by the website above (GIF):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "iCloud Payment Method Declined" spam 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 contain information of such nature. Thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar emails, as they are distributed through large-scale operations.

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

If you have disclosed your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. However, if you've provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, 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 is harmless. Systems are infected 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 compromised might depend on the format of the opened file. Executables cause infections almost without fail (upon being opened). However, some formats – like documents – require additional actions (e.g., clicking embedded content, enabling macros, etc.) to jumpstart malware download/installation.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner can scan systems and eliminate all kinds of threats. It can detect and remove most of the known malware infections. Remember that performing a full system scan is key since high-end malicious software tends to hide deep within systems.