How to identify scams like "Account Security Notification"

What is "Account Security Notification" scam email?

We have examined the message and found that it is designed to appear as a security notification from an email service provider. Its purpose is to trick recipients into entering personal information on a fraudulent page. Emails of this type are classified as phishing attempts. They should be recognized and ignored to avoid potential risks.

More about the "Account Security Notification" scam email

This scam email claims that a new sign-in was detected on the recipient's account and presents fake details such as the time, browser, and location to make the message appear legitimate. It suggests that if the recipient did not perform the login, they should take immediate action by changing their password and reviewing their account activity.

This email is designed to trick the recipient into clicking the "Change your password" or "Review recent account activity" link. The website that should have been opened was unavailable at the time of our inspection. However, emails of this type usually direct recipients to fake email account login websites.

These sites are designed to appear as official login pages and instruct visitors to enter their email addresses and passwords. Scammers can use this information to access email accounts and misuse them to send scam emails to others, distribute malicious applications/files, collect information from emails, etc.

Also, fraudsters can try to access social media, banking, gaming, or other accounts. If they succeed, they can use hijacked accounts to perform additional malicious actions (e.g., steal identities or money). Therefore, it is highly advisable to examine emails before opening links or disclosing personal information to avoid falling for scams.

Similar scam emails in general

Phishing scams are usually designed to trick users into revealing sensitive information. They often imitate trusted organizations or other entities to appear legitimate and important/urgent. Being cautious and checking emails is important to avoid scams and even system infections.

More examples of scam emails are "Your Cloud Is Disabled Email Scam", "New Operational Directives And Contingency Guidelines Email Scam", and "Pending Configuration Verification Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Attackers often use email as a way to spread malicious software by including malicious attachments or sending misleading links. These attachments may appear harmless, but opening them (or performing further steps) can result in malware being planted on a device. Frequently used formats for this purpose include documents, compressed files, executables, and scripts.

Emails can also direct users to untrustworthy websites that are designed to deceive them into downloading malicious files or programs. In other situations, visiting a page may automatically initiate an unwanted download without requiring any additional action.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download applications only from trusted sources, such as official websites or reputable app stores, and avoid pirated software, cracked versions, or key generators. Keep your operating system and all installed programs up to date.

Be careful with suspicious links and ads (or other content) on unreliable websites, and do not allow them to send notifications. When receiving emails or messages from unknown senders, especially those with links or attachments, handle them with caution. Do not open links or files if they seem unreliable.

Text presented in the "Account Security Notification" email letter:

Subject: New sign-in activity on your account

Account Security Notification

Hello,

We detected a new sign-in to your account. This notification is to help you keep your account secure.
Date: March 24, 2026
Time: 05:20 AM
Browser: Chrome
Location: Vienna, Austria (approximate)

If this was you, you can safely ignore this message.

If you do not recognize this activity, please take action immediately:
Change your password
Review recent account activity

Thank you,
Your Company Security Team

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Quick menu:

• What is Account Security Notification 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 messages are often sent to numerous recipients at once. Scammers obtain email addresses through methods like data leaks, social media scraping, fake forms, data breaches, and compromised websites or accounts.

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

If login credentials are compromised, passwords for all affected accounts should be changed immediately. In cases where personal or financial information like credit card details or identification data is exposed, the appropriate organizations or authorities should be notified.

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

Files with extensions like .exe can launch malware immediately once they are executed. Formats such as PDFs or Word documents are less risky because simply opening them does not usually trigger malicious activity. The level of danger depends on the file type as well as how it is handled.

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

Opening and reading an email, without clicking any links or downloading attachments, is safe and does not typically put your system at risk.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove a wide range of known malware. However, some advanced threats may be able to conceal themselves deep within the system. Running a full system scan is recommended to help identify and remove hidden infections.