How to spot scams like "Microsoft OneDrive - Files Shared With You"

What is "Microsoft OneDrive - Files Shared With You" scam?

Our team has inspected the email and concluded that it is a phishing attempt. This message claims that the recipient has received shared documents. It provides a link to a fake website designed to harvest personal information. Victims of this scam may have their accounts hijacked. Thus, it is highly advisable not to trust this email.

More about the "Microsoft OneDrive - Files Shared With You" scam email

This phishing email is designed to appear as a notification from Microsoft OneDrive. It informs the recipient that a file has been shared with them. It claims that an Excel file named "Invoice Payment Schedule December 2025.xlsx" is available to view and provides a link labeled "View Files".

Clicking the link directs the user to a counterfeit website that imitates their email provider. For example, Gmail users are shown a fake Gmail login page, while Yahoo Mail users encounter a deceptive Yahoo login site. In any scenario, the goal is to trick visitors into disclosing their email account login credentials.

If scammers obtain these details, they can hijack email accounts and misuse them for malicious purposes. They can send scam emails, distribute malware, look for additional sensitive information, etc. Moreover, fraudsters may attempt to gain access to other accounts, including gaming, banking, and social media.

Overall, falling victim to this scam can result in identity theft, financial loss, reputational damage, and other serious consequences.

Similar scam emails in general

These scams usually involve emails that impersonate trusted services to steal login credentials or other personal information. They often use urgent or enticing instructions and mention shared files, account alerts, or free offers to trick users into clicking on links. Typically, scammers aim to hijack accounts, spread malware, steal money, or access other sensitive information.

Sometimes, fraudsters use deceptive emails to deliver malware. Here are more examples of scam emails: "DHL Express - Incoming Package Arrival Notification Email Scam", "cPanel Account Suspension Email Scam", and "SharePoint Secure Document Verification Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is frequently delivered through email by being hidden inside attachments that appear legitimate, including documents such as Word, Excel, or PDF files, compressed archives like ZIP or RAR files, or executable files. The threat is triggered when the file is opened, macros are allowed in a document, or the user interacts with the file in other ways.

Emails may also include links that direct users to fake or compromised websites, which are created to automatically plant malware or deceive users into downloading it themselves. In most cases, an infection occurs because a user clicks a harmful link or opens a dangerous attachment.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Keep your operating system and applications up to date, and run regular scans using a trusted security solution to reduce the risk of infection. While browsing, do not interact with pop-ups, ads, buttons, or suspicious links on untrustworthy websites. Only download files and apps from official pages and reputable app stores.

Stay away from pirated or cracked software, keygens, and similar unsafe tools. Be cautious with emails and messages, especially unexpected ones or those from unknown senders, and never open attachments or click links in such communications.

Text presented in the "Microsoft OneDrive - Files Shared With You" email letter:

Subject: You received shared documents via OneDrive

Microsoft OneDrive
Files shared with you

********

Invoice Payment Schedule December 2025.xlsx
Last modified 12/18/2025 1:42:46 a.m.
Number of Files: 1
View Files
© 2025 OneDrive Corporation. One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052
You received this email because someone shared files with you from OneDrive.

Fake site used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Microsoft OneDrive - Files Shared With You phishing scam?
• 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?

These emails are often sent to large lists of people whose addresses were obtained through data breaches or phishing campaigns, which is why they rarely address recipients by name.

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

Update the passwords for any potentially compromised accounts. If personal or financial information, like banking or ID details, has been exposed, contact the appropriate service providers or authorities immediately.

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

The chance of infection varies by file type. Executable files, like .exe, can launch malware as soon as they are opened, whereas documents are generally safe unless they prompt users to enable features such as macros.

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

Opening an email alone does not infect a device. A system becomes vulnerable only when a malicious attachment is opened or a deceptive link is clicked.

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

Combo Cleaner can remove most known malware, and performing a full system scan helps identify and eliminate hidden or more sophisticated threats.