How to identify fake emails like "Zoho - File Shared With You"

What is "Zoho - File Shared With You" fake notification?

Our team has concluded that this is a scam email designed to appear as a notification from an email service provider. It is used to trick recipients into opening a fraudulent login website and entering personal information. Victims of such scams can experience account hijacking and additional issues.

More about the "Zoho - File Shared With You" scam email

This phishing email claims that a document has been shared with the recipient and is presented as a notification from Zoho. It states that a file named "eTranzact Proposal.pdf" has been shared and encourages the recipient to view it by clicking a link labeled "VIEW FILE". It also mentions that the link will expire in seven days.

In reality, this email is designed to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link that leads to a fake login page. This site is used to extract login credentials (email addresses and passwords) that could be then used to gain access to email (and possibly other) accounts. Hijacked email accounts can be used to harvest information, spread scams and malware, and other malicious purposes.

If victims use the same login credentials across multiple accounts, those accounts (e.g., social media or banking) may also be compromised. In such cases, victims may encounter issues like identity theft, monetary loss, reputational damage, or other negative outcomes. Thus, suspicious emails should be examined before interacting with them.

Similar scam emails in general

Scams like this often impersonate real services and are designed to look important and urgent to trick users into taking action. The goal is to get users to click links or enter sensitive information on fake pages. Staying cautious and verifying messages before opening links or sharing information helps avoid these threats.

Sometimes, victims of such scams have their computers infected. Here are more examples of similar scams: "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?

Cybercriminals commonly use email to deliver malware by disguising harmful content as normal attachments or links. A malicious file can trigger malicious activity when opened or further interacted with. Most threat actors use file types such as executables, documents, archives, or scripts to trick users into infecting their devices.

Emails may also include links that lead to unsafe websites set up to trick users into downloading malicious software. In some cases, simply accessing such a page can start an automatic download without any further action from the user.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Get software from verified sources like official websites or well-known app stores. Do not use pirated programs, cracking tools, or key generators. Avoid interacting with suspicious links, ads, or other content on untrusted websites, and always block their notification requests. Keeping your operating system and applications up to date is also important.

Moreover, treat emails and messages from unfamiliar senders carefully, especially if they contain links or attachments, and do not open anything that appears questionable.

Text presented in the "Zoho - File Shared With You" email letter:

Subject: A document was shared with you

Z O H O

Hi,

eTranzact shared a file with you.

eTranzact Proposal.pdf

2.1 MB · Shared just now
VIEW FILE

Link expires in 7 days

– The Zoho Team

Zoho Corporation · 4141 Hacienda Dr, Pleasanton, CA 94588

Unsubscribe · Privacy · Terms

© 2026 Zoho Corp.

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Zoho - File Shared With You fake 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?

Scam emails are typically distributed to many people simultaneously. Scammers get email addresses from data breaches, public sources like social media, fake forms or websites, and compromised accounts or devices.

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

If login details have been exposed, passwords for any affected accounts should be updated right away. When personal or financial information such as credit card numbers or identification data is compromised, the relevant organizations or authorities should be informed.

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

Files like .exe can start an infection as soon as they are run. Formats such as PDFs or Word documents are generally safer, since opening them alone does not typically cause harm. The risk depends on both the type of file and how it is used.

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

Simply opening and reading an email without interacting with links or attachments is safe and does not pose a risk to systems.

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

Combo Cleaner is able to find and remove most known malware. Certain advanced threats can hide deep within a system and avoid detection. Performing a full system scan helps improve the chances of detecting and removing these hidden infections.