How to identify scams like "Mailbox Verification Notice"

What is "Mailbox Verification Notice" scam?

We have reviewed the email and determined that it is a phishing attempt disguised as a notification from the email service provider. Fraudsters behind this scam email aim to deceive recipients into opening a fake website and entering personal information. Victims of this scam may lose access to personal accounts.

More about the "Mailbox Verification Notice" scam email

This scam email is disguised as a mailbox verification notice and urges the recipient to verify their email account and upgrade storage. The message warns that failure to act will result in disconnection from the server. It includes links ("VERIFICATION HERE" and "UPGRADE HERE") designed to lure the recipient into clicking them.

These links lead to a fake website that may mimic the appearance of the recipient's email provider. It means that if the recipient uses Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or another service, then the fraudulent site poses as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or another login site. The goal is to extract login credentials from visitors.

Obtaining these details allows scammers to hijack email accounts and exploit them, for example by sending phishing emails, spreading malware, or collecting additional personal information. They may attempt to access other services, including banking, gaming, or social networks.

The results of this scam can include identity theft, financial loss, and other issues. Thus, it is important to know how to spot fraudulent emails to avoid falling for them.

Similar scam emails in general

In general, emails like this are phishing attempts designed to trick recipients into revealing login credentials. They often use urgency, fake verification messages, and links to counterfeit websites. Falling for them can lead to account takeover, identity theft, financial loss, and other serious problems. Sometimes, it can result in computer infections.

More examples of similar scams are "Microsoft OneDrive - Files Shared With You", "DHL Express - Incoming Package Arrival Notification", and "cPanel Account Suspension".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is often spread through email by disguising itself as legitimate attachments. These can include Word, Excel, or PDF documents, compressed files such as ZIP or RAR archives, or executable files. The threat is activated when the attachment is opened, macros are enabled, or the user interacts with the infected file in other way.

Emails can also contain links that lead to fake or compromised websites. These sites are designed to automatically download malware or trick users into downloading it. In most cases, malware infections happen because a user clicks a malicious link or opens a harmful attachment.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Avoid pirated or cracked software, key generators, and other unsafe tools, as they are common sources of malware. Be careful with emails and messages, especially those you were not expecting or that come from unknown senders, and do not click links or open attachments in them.

Only download files and applications from official websites and well-known app stores. When browsing the web, ignore pop-ups, ads, buttons, and suspicious links on untrusted sites. To further reduce the risk of infection, keep your operating system and apps up to date and regularly scan your device with a reliable security solution.

Text presented in the "Mailbox Verification Notice" email letter:

Subject: Removal request from ******** server

MAILBOX VERIFICATION NOTICE

Dear ********

Kindly verify (********) mailbox account and upgrade storage.

VERIFICATION HERE

UPGRADE HERE

Failure to verify your account will result in disconnecting you from the ******** server.

Roundcube, L.L.C, 2550 North Loop West, Suite 4006, Houston, TX 77092, USA.

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Mailbox Verification Notice phishing 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?

These emails are typically sent to large groups of people whose addresses were collected from data breaches or previous phishing attacks, which is why they usually do not include the recipient's name or other personal details.

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

Reset passwords for all accounts that could be at risk. If any personal or financial data, like banking information or identification numbers, has been leaked, reach out immediately to the appropriate organizations or authorities.

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

The potential for malware depends on the file format. Executables such as .exe can infect a system immediately, while documents only pose a threat if they ask the user to enable functions like macros.

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

Simply opening an email does not put a device at risk. Infection can occur only after a harmful attachment is opened or a malicious link is clicked.

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

Combo Cleaner is capable of removing most known malware, and running a full system scan helps detect and eliminate hidden or more advanced threats.