How to identify scams like "Mail Delivery System"

What is "Mail Delivery System" scam?

We have concluded that it is a phishing email masquerading as an important message delivery notice from the email service provider. The email includes a link to a deceptive website that instructs visitors to provide personal information. Any details entered on that site are sent to scammers. Thus, this scam should be ignored.

More about the "Mail Delivery System" scam email

The email pretends to come from a mail delivery system. It claims that the recipient has messages pending delivery and urges them to complete a verification process to access these messages. The email warns that those messages will expire in seven days if no action is taken.

It includes links labeled "Verify Account Now" and "View Message Details" and states that the verification is needed to protect account security. The provided links lead to a phishing website disguised as the email account login site. This page can mimic the design of the recipient's email provider (appearing as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and others).

The goal is to steal email account login credentials (email addresses and passwords). Scammers can misuse this information to inspect emails for sensitive information, send scam emails to others, distribute malware, etc. They can also sell stolen credentials to other cybercriminals.

It is also likely that scammers would try to access social media, gaming, or other platforms using the pilfered information. This could lead to other issues, such as financial losses and identity theft. For these reasons, scam emails like this one should not be trusted, and they should be deleted if received.

Conclusion

This scam email is designed to trick recipients into revealing their email login credentials through a fake page. Stolen information can be used for further scams, identity theft, or financial fraud. Such emails should never be trusted and should be deleted immediately.

Examples of similar scams are "IT Security Protection", "Wells Fargo - Payment Remittance Copy", and "Domain Failure Notice". Sometimes, fraudulent emails can be used to distribute malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Emails used to trick recipients into infecting systems contain malicious files or links. Typically, cybercriminals attach infected documents (e.g., Word, Excel, or PDF files), executables, archives (e.g., RAR or ZIP), or ISO files. Malware executes after opening these files or taking additional actions.

Links in deceptive emails can open untrustworthy or hijacked websites. These sites can be designed to automatically download malware or trick users into downloading and executing it.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Keep your operating system and apps up to date, and regularly scan your device using trusted security software. Get programs from official websites or reputable app stores. Do not use pirated software, cracks, or keygens. Be careful with emails or messages from unknown senders, and never open attachments or click links unless you are sure they are safe.

While browsing, steer clear of suspicious pop-ups, ads, buttons, links, or other content on untrusted websites. Also, never accept notifications from suspicious pages.

Text presented in the "Mail Delivery System" email letter:

Subject: Important Message Delivery Notice

MAIL DELIVERY SYSTEM

You Have Messages Awaiting Delivery

Hello ********,

We're holding messages that are pending delivery to your inbox ********. To ensure you receive these messages promptly, please complete the verification process.

Messages will be held for 7 days before expiration
Verify Account Now View Message Details
Note: These messages will remain in your pending folder until you complete this quick verification step. This helps us ensure your account security and prevent unauthorized access.

This notification was sent automatically by our message delivery system.

If you have any questions, please contact our support team.
Help Center | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

© 2026 ******** . All rights reserved.

Fake website in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Mail Delivery System 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 usually sent to a large number of addresses collected from data breaches or fraudulent websites. You probably received it simply because scammers got your email address.

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

If login credentials are stolen, users should immediately update their passwords and notify the appropriate authorities if personal or financial data has been exposed.

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

Malware can execute as soon as executable files or scripts are opened, whereas most documents are safe unless macros or similar functions are activated. The likelihood of infection varies by file type.

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

Malware can infiltrate only if the recipient opens attachments or clicks on links. Simply reading an email does not pose a threat.

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

Combo Cleaner can handle most malware, but more advanced infections might need a full system scan to ensure they are completely detected and removed.