How to spot scams like "Account Policy Review Email Scam"

What is "Account Policy Review" scam?

Upon examining the email, we concluded that it is a phishing attempt. It is designed to appear as an urgent notification from the email service provider to trick recipients into opening the included website. The goal is to steal personal information that can be used to gain access to email and possibly other accounts.

More about the "Account Policy Review" scam email

The email claims that the recipient's account password will expire soon and must be updated to avoid service interruptions. It urges the recipient to use the provided link labeled "Keep my password" to keep the password active. The message presents itself as an official notification from the service provider to appear legitimate.

The provided link leads to a fake website designed to look like the recipient's actual email service, such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or another provider. It asks users to enter their email login information, but any details entered are captured by scammers. These stolen credentials can then be used to access email accounts.

Hijacked accounts can be used to steal personal information, send scams, spread malware, or carry out other harmful actions. Scammers may also try the stolen credentials on other accounts. This can put banking, social media, and other personal accounts at risk of being taken over.

It is crucial to carefully check emails before clicking links or sharing any personal information to avoid the potential risks.

Conclusion

This is a phishing scam designed to trick recipients into revealing their email login details. Falling for it can lead to account takeover and further misuse of personal information. Always verify unexpected emails before clicking links or entering sensitive data. Sometimes, scam emails can be used to trick recipients into infecting operating systems.

Additional examples of scam emails are "Account Details Issue - Cloud Storage Email Scam", "Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward Email Scam", and "Entersoft - Electronic Document Has Been Sent Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is often spread via email through infected attachments. These files may appear as harmless documents, PDFs, executables, RAR or ZIP archives, or scripts, but can carry malware. Opening these files (or enabling certain features, such as macros) can trigger the malware and compromise the device.

Emails may also contain links that lead to fraudulent or compromised websites. Visiting these sites can cause malware to download automatically or trick users into installing it, resulting in infection.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Only download software from official sites or trusted app stores, and avoid pirated programs, cracking tools, or unofficial activators, since these often carry malware. Carefully check unexpected or unrelated emails and messages, particularly those with attachments or links.

Keep your operating system and all applications up to date, and run regular scans with a reliable security tool. Exercise caution while browsing the web - do not click on suspicious ads, pop-ups, or unknown links, and avoid allowing notifications from untrusted websites.

Text presented in the "Account Policy Review" email letter:

Subject: Update Password for ******** ADMIN

Account Policy Review, Password Expiration Date

Hi ********,

Your password for ******** 2/10/2026 4:37:46 p.m.

We encourage you to take the time now to keep your password active to avoid interruptions.

Keep my password

Note: ******** will not be responsible for any loss of account

Thanks.
Copyright ******** 2026

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Account Policy Review 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 scams are usually distributed to many people at the same time. Email addresses are often gathered from data breaches or untrustworthy online platforms.

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

Immediately update the credentials for any accounts that may be affected. If sensitive information was shared, reach out to your bank or relevant officials.

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

Risk varies by file category and user actions. Executables may run malicious code immediately, while document files typically require users to take extra steps to cause infection.

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

Opening an email alone is not dangerous. Issues occur if malicious files are downloaded and opened or suspicious links are clicked and further steps are taken.

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

Combo Cleaner effectively removes most infections, but advanced malware can sometimes stay unnoticed. Performing a thorough scan of the entire system helps identify and eliminate hidden threats.