How to spot scams like "Webmail System Update"

What is "Webmail System Update"?

Our review indicates that this email is a scam, crafted to seem urgent and important to entice recipients into clicking the provided link. The attackers behind it are attempting to steal personal information. Following the instructions provided in the email and on the deceptive page can result in account compromise and other problems.

More about the "Webmail System Update" scam email

This email is disguised as an urgent notice from a webmail provider. It claims that the recipient's current webmail version is outdated and will soon be discontinued. It warns that failing to update immediately could result in service interruption, security risks, or complete loss of access.

The message urges the recipient to click a link to update their account and claims this step is necessary to maintain security and performance. Clicking the "UPDATE NOW" button (link) leads to a fake login website that can mimic the appearance of the recipient's email provider (including Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and others). This site is used to steal email account login credentials.

With this information, fraudsters can access email accounts and misuse them in various ways. For example, they can send scam emails to others, look for sensitive information within emails, and deliver malware. Cybercriminals may use stolen login information to access social media, banking, or other online accounts, potentially leading to identity theft, financial loss, or other consequences.

Overall, this and similar emails are usually scams used to extract information, and if such malicious campaigns are successful, victims may experience a variety of negative outcomes.

Similar scam emails in general

Scams like this often pose as urgent messages from email providers or other services. They attempt to trick recipients into clicking links that lead to fake login pages, designed to steal their credentials. Once attackers obtain this information, they can misuse accounts for malicious purposes, like identity theft.

Sometimes, deceptive emails can be used to trick recipients into infecting computers. Some examples of scam emails similar to the one we reviewed are "Domain Name Registration Failure Email Scam", "Password Expiry Reminder Email Scam", and "Account Security Update Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Deceptive emails can contain infected attachments, including Word or Excel documents, PDFs, executable files (such as .exe), compressed files (like ZIP or RAR), scripts, and ISO images. Opening these files or performing additional actions after opening them can allow malware to infect and compromise the system.

Such emails can also include links that take users to malicious sites, which may silently download and run malware or trick users into doing so. Most infections happen after interacting with these links or attachments.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Keep your operating system and apps up to date, and run regular scans using reliable security software. Avoid interacting with pop-ups, ads, buttons, or links on untrusted websites. Only install programs from official sources or trusted app stores, and steer clear of pirated software, cracks, or keygens.

Be especially careful with unexpected or similar emails and messages from unknown senders, and do not click links or open attachments.

Text presented in the "Webmail System Update" email letter:

Subject: URGENT: Immediate Webmail Update Required to Prevent Access Loss.

System Update

Dear ********,

Your current webmail version is no longer supported and will be permanently discontinued. If you do not update immediately, you may experience service interruption, security risks, or complete loss of webmail access.

To maintain uninterrupted service, enhanced security, and optimal performance, you must update to the latest webmail version now.

Failure to take action may result in restricted or terminated access without further notice.

If you require assistance, contact our support team immediately
UpDaTe NoW

Critical: This update ensures compliance with the latest security standards.

©2026 CPanel Inc

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Fake page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Webmail system update email notification?
• 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?

Malicious spam emails are sent to large groups of people without personalization, using addresses gathered from breaches, scams, or other channels.

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

Update the passwords for all potentially compromised accounts and notify relevant authorities or organizations if sensitive information, such as financial data, may have been exposed.

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

Certain files, such as executables, can infect a system immediately, whereas documents generally pose a risk only if macros are enabled. Therefore, the chance of a system being compromised depends on the type of file that was opened.

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

A device can be infected after opening a malicious attachment or link. Opening emails without interacting with their contents is not harmful.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove malware from the system, and performing a full, thorough scan helps ensure that even hidden or sophisticated threats are found and eliminated.