How to identify scams like "Validate Mailbox" phishing email

What is "Validate Mailbox" scam?

After reviewing the email, we determined it is a phishing attempt pretending to be a message from the email service provider. Its goal is to lure recipients to a fake website and steal personal information. Falling for this scam can lead to account takeover and other problems.

More about the "Validate Mailbox" scam email

This scam email warns the recipient that their mailbox is about to expire and will be closed. It urges them to click a link to "validate" it. This link directs users to a fraudulent login page that imitates their email service provider, such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or others. This site is used to steal email account login credentials.

Once scammers have access to email accounts, they can search for sensitive information in emails, send phishing emails of others, distribute malware, or perform other malicious actions. Also, they may try to access other accounts, including social media, banking, and gaming, using the obtained login credentials.

If they succeed, they may be able to steal identities, make fraudulent transactions or purchases, or engage in other malicious activities. Thus, falling for this scam can result in multiple problems, not just the hijacking of the email account. Recipients of such emails should exercise caution and never disclose personal information on suspicious websites.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this scam is a phishing attempt operated by scammers to trick recipients into revealing their email login credentials on a fake website. Compromised accounts can lead to identity theft, unauthorized transactions, malware distribution, and hijacking of other accounts.

It is important to note that fraudulent emails can also be used to deliver malware. Some examples of similar emails are "Complete The Authentication Process Email Scam", "Mailbox Verification Notice Email Scam", and "Microsoft OneDrive - Files Shared With You Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals can send emails containing infected attachments, including Word, Excel, or PDF files, ZIP or RAR archives, executable files, or scripts. Depending on the file type, malware can infiltrate systems after opening or by taking additional steps, such as enabling macros.

Emails can also contain links to fake or compromised websites. Visiting these sites can trigger automatic malware downloads or persuade users to download and run malicious software. In general, infections happen when users click on harmful links or open malicious attachments.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Exercise caution with emails and messages, especially if they come from unknown sources or are unexpected, and refrain from clicking links or opening attachments in them. Never use pirated programs, key generators, or cracking tools. Do not click on pop-ups, advertisements, buttons, and links encountered while visiting shady sites.

Always download software and files from official sources or trusted app stores, keep your operating system and applications up to date, and perform regular scans with reputable security software.

Text presented in the "Validate Mailbox" email letter:

Subject: VALIDATE ******** MAILBOX !!!

VALIDATE MAILBOX!
Your ********expires now, and your Mailbox will be closed automatically. Click below to Validate your Mailbox ********
VALIDATE ********
Webmaster for ******** Account and services.
© 2025

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Validate Mailbox 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 usually sent to large numbers of addresses, often collected from hacked or fraudulent websites, and typically contain no personal information. The email you received is not targeted.

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

Update the passwords for all potentially affected accounts and notify the appropriate authorities or other entities if any sensitive information, such as financial or personal identification data, may have been exposed.

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

The risk of malware infection varies by file type. Executable files (.exe) can infect a system immediately when opened, while documents usually launch malware only if macros are enabled.

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

Simply viewing an email does not infect a device. Infection can only occur if a malicious attachment is opened or a dangerous link is clicked.

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

Running a scan with Combo Cleaner can remove most malware. It is important to note that performing a full system scan helps identify and eliminate hidden or more advanced threats.