How to spot scams like "Domain Failure Notice"

What is "Domain Failure Notice" scam?

Our analysis has shown that this is a scam email disguised as a domain failure notice. It is crafted to appear urgent to deceive recipients into opening the provided link and sharing personal information. Victims of this scam can lose access to their accounts and encounter further issues.

More about the "Domain Failure Notice" scam email

This message is created to appear official and legitimate. It claims that the recipient's email password is about to expire on the specified date, and the email account will have login problems or be locked if no action is taken. It states that the recipient must confirm or keep their password immediately to avoid interruptions.

Also, the email mentions that any losses caused by ignoring the message are the recipient's responsibility. Its purpose is to trick the recipient into clicking the provided link ("Keep My Password"). This link directs the recipient to a fake login website designed to steal email account login credentials.

If scammers gain access to an email account, they can read messages to gather personal information, send scam emails, or spread malware. They may also try to hijack other accounts, such as social media, gaming, or banking accounts, which can lead to identity theft or financial fraud.

It is important to note that links in emails like this may lead to fake websites designed to mimic Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or other email providers, depending on the recipient's email address.

Conclusion

Overall, this message is a phishing attempt designed to mislead the recipient into revealing their email login credentials. The email aims to direct the recipient to a fraudulent website, which could lead to issues such as account compromise, identity theft, or financial loss. In some cases, emails of this kind can be used to distribute malware.

Examples of similar scams include "Failed Email Delivery Reports Scam", "Webmail Security Team - Important Email Notice Scam", and "Problem With Email Account Due To Server Upgrade Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors commonly use email to deliver malware by sending messages that include malicious attachments. These attachments may be Word, Excel, or PDF documents, compressed files such as ZIP or RAR archives, executable files, scripts, or ISO images. When a recipient opens these files or takes additional actions, malware can infect the device.

Emails can also include links that lead to unsafe or compromised websites. Accessing these sites or interacting with their content may cause malware to download automatically or persuade users to download it manually. In both situations, infection only occurs if the recipient clicks the link or opens the malicious attachment.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious when receiving unexpected emails or messages, especially from unknown senders, and avoid opening attachments or clicking links unless you are confident they are legitimate. When browsing the internet, avoid interacting with suspicious pop-ups, advertisements, buttons, or links on questionable websites.

Get software only from official pages or well-known app stores, and stay away from pirated programs, cracks, or keygens. Make sure your operating system and applications are kept up to date, and regularly scan your device using reputable security software.

Text presented in the "Domain Failure Notice" email letter:

Subject: Your password is set to expire please confirm to continue!

Domain Failure Notice: ********

Your password is set to expire on 25 January, 2026 22:53:28 PM

ockie@{email}

We advise you to take the tіme now to keep yоur mail box pаssword and avoid logіn іnterruptions or account lockouts.

Kееp My Раssword

Nоtе: You are liable for any loss due to skipped validation prompts.

Thank you,
******** Support 2026

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Domain Failure Notice 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 numbers of recipients using email lists obtained from data breaches or deceptive websites. In most cases, they are generic and not personally targeted.

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

If login credentials or other sensitive information are exposed, passwords should be changed immediately, and relevant authorities should be notified if financial or identity data is involved.

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

Certain file types, such as executable files and scripts, can launch malware immediately when opened. Documents usually pose a lower risk unless features like macros are enabled. Overall, the likelihood of infection depends on the type of file involved.

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

Emails pose a risk only when recipients open attachments or click malicious links. Simply opening an email without interacting with its content does not cause harm.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most types of malware, but more sophisticated infections may require a full system scan to be fully identified and eliminated.