How to spot scams like "New Version Of The Mail System Interface"

What is "New Version Of The Mail System Interface" scam?

We have analyzed the email and determined that it is a phishing attempt disguised as a "system-generated notification" from the email service provider. The fraudsters behind this message seek to deceive recipients into sharing personal details on a fake website. Victims of this scam may experience account hijacking and other negative consequences.

More about the "New Version Of The Mail System Interface" scam email

This scam email claims that the recipient has about 18 incoming messages held on the server because their mailbox session needs to be upgraded to a newer version of the email system. It states that the update is required for security and mailbox synchronization and urges the recipient to complete the upgrade to get the pending emails.

It also claims that once the upgrade is finished, emails will be delivered within about 30 minutes. Additionally, the message warns that failure to complete the process within 24 hours will lead to account suspension. It urges the recipient to use the provided link (labeled "Retrieve Pending Messages") to fix the "issue".

That link opens a fake email account login website that can mimic the appearance of Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or other email providers. The purpose of this site is to steal login credentials for email accounts (email addresses and passwords). Scammers can use these details to access accounts and use them to steal information, send scam emails, distribute malware, or for other malicious purposes.

It is important to note that stolen login credentials may be used in attempts to access social media, financial, gaming, or other platforms. If other accounts are hijacked, they can be used to steal identities, make fraudulent purchases, or engage in other fraudulent activities. Therefore, users should recognize scam emails and ignore them.

Conclusion

This is a phishing scam designed to trick recipients into revealing their email account login credentials through a fake login page. Cybercriminals use such scams to gain unauthorized access to accounts and potentially misuse them for fraud, identity theft, spreading malware, or sending additional phishing emails.

Users should avoid clicking suspicious links, never enter credentials on untrusted websites, and delete deceptive emails of this kind. In some cases, falling for scams can lead to system infections. Some examples of similar scams are "iCloud Storage Full", "Wells Fargo - Unauthorized Charges", and "You Have Been Served With A Court Letter".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors often distribute malware through emails containing malicious attachments. These attachments can come in different formats, including documents, archives, scripts, or executable files. Opening such files or performing certain actions, such as enabling macros, can allow malware to infect the system.

Cybercriminals also use links in emails that direct recipients to fraudulent or compromised websites. These websites may automatically download malicious files or deceive users into downloading and executing malware manually.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is important to be careful with links and attachments received through emails, especially when the messages are unexpected or sent by unknown sources. Software and applications should always be obtained from official pages or trusted app stores, while cracked programs, pirated software, and key generators should never be used.

Keeping operating systems and installed programs up to date, together with regularly using reputable antivirus or anti-malware software, also helps to avoid threats. Users should also avoid interacting with pop-ups, advertisements, buttons, and similar elements on untrustworthy websites.

Text presented in the "New Version Of The Mail System Interface" email letter:

Subject: ACTION REQUIRED: Important Messages Delayed on Server - Please Review ********

System Generated Notification
This is an automated message
sent to you by ******** Server.

Email: ********
Technical Notice ID: WBML0A-3154-4/24/2026 11:08:20 p.m.
Priority: Critical
Classification : Server Infrastructure Update
A new version of the mail system interface has been released as part of a scheduled update to improve security and mailbox synchronization.

Email system indicates that approximately 18 incoming messages are currently pending on the server for your mailbox. These messages are temporarily queued until your session is upgraded to the latest version of the email system.

Please complete the upgrade to retrieve your pending messages. After a successful upgrade, the queued emails will be automatically released and delivered to your mailbox within approximately 30 minutes.
Retrieve Pending Messages
Failure to upgrade within 24 hours will result in your account being suspended. If you have already completed this process, please disregard this message.
Thank you for your prompt action.

Please do not reply to this email. Emails sent to this address will not be answered. This is an automated email sent by ******** Server.

Kindly note that failure to comply with the instructions provided in this email will result in the suspension of your account. It is crucial that you take the necessary actions outlined in this message to avoid any disruptions to your access.

Fake website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is New Version Of The Mail System Interface 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?

Fraudsters often send identical scam messages to large numbers of recipients simultaneously. The email addresses used in these campaigns are commonly obtained through data leaks or phishing pages.

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

If login credentials have been disclosed, all affected passwords should be changed immediately. When financial details or personal information may have been compromised, the appropriate service providers should be informed, and law enforcement or other relevant authorities contacted if required.

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

The likelihood of infection depends on the file type and the actions taken by the user. For instance, executable files may infect a system immediately after being opened, while documents require users to enable features such as macros before malicious activity can occur.

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

Merely opening an email does not typically result in a device becoming infected. In most cases, malware infections occur only after a user interacts with harmful links or opens malicious attachments.

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

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing the majority of known security threats. Some advanced malware may use techniques to avoid detection, which is why performing a full system scan is recommended.