How to spot scams like "Zoho - Update Your Payment Method"

What kind of scam is "Zoho - Update Your Payment Method"?

Our analysis indicates that this is a phishing attempt disguised as a notification about a subscription payment method. It contains a link to a fake website designed to extract personal information from unsuspecting recipients. Victims of this scam may be unable to access their personal account and experience additional issues.

More about the "Zoho - Update Your Payment Method" scam email

The phishing email pretends to be from a legitimate company (Zoho). It claims that the recipient's payment method for a subscription could not be processed. It states that this is the second failed payment and warns that the recipient's services may be suspended unless they update their billing information.

The message urges the recipient to verify their credit card details or use a different card to reactivate the services. It includes a link labeled "Update billing" to trick the recipient into opening a fake site. This deceptive website masquerades as a payment portal for a subscription service.

It warns the user that they have only two days to complete a transaction to avoid service interruption. It requests sensitive payment information, including card number, expiration date, CVV, and first and last name. The page displays subscription pricing, a discounted total, a field for entering a discount code, and a button to confirm the purchase.

The purpose of this website is to steal financial and personal information. It may also be used to steal money. Therefore, it is highly advisable to disregard the scam email to prevent identity theft, financial loss, and potentially other issues.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this scam uses a fake email and website to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information. Its ultimate goal is to steal data (and likely money), so ignoring the email and avoiding interaction with the fake site is important to protect against identity theft and financial loss.

Sometimes, emails of this kind can be utilized to spread malware. Some examples of similar scams are "Invoices Are Being Released Email Scam", "Important Alert On Your Microsoft Account Email Scam", and "Multiple Unusual Sign-In Attempts Detected Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

When malware is delivered via email, it is typically hidden in attachments such as documents (e.g., Word, Excel, or PDF files), compressed files, or executable files. These files can deploy malware when opened, when the user enables macros, or when the user takes other steps.

Emails used to distribute malware can also include links that take recipients to fake or hacked websites, encouraging them to download and run malicious software. Generally, system infections occur when malicious links or files are opened.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with emails and messages, especially if they are unexpected or from unfamiliar senders; avoid opening attachments or clicking on links in such messages. Only download files or apps from official websites and trusted app stores, and steer clear of cracked software, pirated programs, key generators, or other unreliable sources.

While browsing, do not interact with pop-ups, ads, buttons, or suspicious links on dubious websites. Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and regularly scan your device with a reliable security tool to help protect against threats.

Text presented in the "Zoho - Update Your Payment Method" email letter:

Subject: Lаst rеmindеr: Uрdаtе yоur billing dеtаils now tо аvоid services susреnsiоn

Unfortunately we couldn't charge the рауmеnt method for your subscription. Please kindly update your рауmеnt method now to fully reactivate your services.

This is the second failed рауmеnt for this invoice. Your сгеdit сагԁ company sent this explanation: The сгеdit сагԁ was rejected by our рауmеnt services provider. Please double check your сгеdit сагԁ information and try again or use a different сгеdit сагԁ.
Upԁɑtе bіӏӏіոg

Have a great day!
Zоhо Team

This message was sent automatically. Need help with the renewal? Our support team is here: support@zоhоaccount.com

© 2025, Zоhо Corporation Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

ZОНО Corporation, 4141 Hacienda Drive, Pleasanton, CA 94588, USA

Fake page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Zoho - Update Your Payment Method phishing attempt?
• 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?

Cybercriminals often send scam emails to many users at once (their emails are not targeted), using addresses gathered from data breaches, phishing sites, or other sources.

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

Change the passwords and login details for any accounts that might have been compromised. If sensitive data such as banking information or personal identification was exposed, contact the relevant service providers or authorities for assistance.

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

The risk of malware infection depends on the type of file. Executable files, like .exe files, can activate malware immediately when opened, while documents are generally safe unless they require enabling features such as macros.

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

Simply opening an email does not compromise a system. A device is at risk only when a user opens malicious attachments or clicks on harmful links.

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

Combo Cleaner can remove the majority of known malware, and running a full system scan helps identify hidden or more advanced threats that may try to evade detection.