How to spot scams like "MoonPay Account Needs Verification"

What kind of email is "MoonPay Account Needs Verification"?

We have examined this email and determined it is a phishing scam. The message impersonates MoonPay, a legitimate cryptocurrency payment service, and falsely claims that recipients must verify their wallet under a new regulatory framework. Clicking the link in the email leads to a fraudulent site that steals cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases. Recipients should ignore this email to protect their crypto assets from theft.

"MoonPay Account Needs Verification" email scam overview

The email carries the subject line "Your MoonPay Account Needs Verification - 8 Days Left" and presents itself as an official compliance notice from MoonPay. It cites a fictional law - the "Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act" - and claims it obligates all users to authorize their wallet addresses. A deadline of May 15, 2026 is given, with warnings that failing to act will result in the suspension of transaction capabilities.

This regulatory requirement does not exist. The email is fraudulent from start to finish, and MoonPay has no connection to it. The sender address is entirely unrelated to MoonPay.

Clicking the "Authorize Wallet Now" button leads to a page on tuvanmuahang[.]com designed to look like the MetaMask wallet import screen. The page prompts visitors to enter their Secret Recovery Phrase - the 12-word sequence that grants complete control over a cryptocurrency wallet. Whatever is typed there goes directly to the criminals behind the scam.

A recovery phrase is the master key to a wallet. With it, scammers can import the wallet into their own software, transfer every coin and token to their own address, and leave nothing behind. Cryptocurrency transactions cannot be reversed.

To be clear: MoonPay is a legitimate business and has no involvement in this campaign whatsoever. Scammers are using its name and branding without permission to make the fake email appear trustworthy.

Similar phishing scam emails

In summary, this email is a phishing scam that exploits the MoonPay name to trick cryptocurrency users into surrendering their wallet recovery phrases. Anyone who complies loses permanent access to all funds in the affected wallet. Recipients should delete this email without clicking any links.

It is worth noting that spam campaigns like this are sometimes also used to distribute malware.

More examples of comparable phishing emails are Selling And Lending Cryptocurrencies, Donation Of Crypto Funds, and Suspicious Activities On Your Crypto Wallet.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails distribute malware by carrying malicious files as attachments or by linking to harmful websites. Attachment types vary widely - they may appear as executable programs, compressed archives, PDF files, Microsoft Office documents, JavaScript files, and others. Opening an attachment, or in some cases enabling a feature within it such as malicious macro commands, can trigger the malware installation process.

Links inside spam emails may point to sites that automatically push malware onto the visitor's device, or present fake pages that convince users to download and run something themselves. In most cases, some active step from the user - clicking, opening, or running a file - is required for an infection to take hold.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with emails from senders you do not recognize, especially those that push urgent action or contain unexpected attachments and links. When in doubt, navigate directly to the company's official website rather than clicking anything inside an email.

Download software only from official websites and legitimate app stores. Avoid pirated content, key generators, and unofficial cracks - these are common vehicles for malware. Keep your operating system and all installed applications up to date, since many attacks exploit known security gaps that updates patch.

Use a reputable security application and keep it active. Do not grant browser notification permissions to websites you do not trust. If you have already interacted with a suspicious file or link, we recommend running a full scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to detect and remove any malware that may have been installed.

Appearance of "MoonPay Account Needs Verification" scam email (GIF):

Text presented in the "MoonPay Account Needs Verification" email letter:

Subject: Your MoonPay Account Needs Verification - 8 Days Left

MoonPay
ACTION REQUIRED
Global Compliance Update

As part of our commitment to providing the most secure and reliable infrastructure in the digital asset ecosystem, MoonPay is implementing a mandatory compliance update in response to the newly enacted Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act.

What This Means:

The Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act requires mandatory verification for all wallet endpoints. To maintain your ability to transact, buy, sell, and swap assets, you must authorize your wallet address under this framework.

Authorization Details:
Secure Process: Your data is protected with bank-level encryption
Quick Setup: Takes less than 60 seconds to complete
One-Time Only: This is a one-time requirement
[Authorize Wallet Now]

Important: Failure to authorize your wallet by May 15, 2026 will result in temporary suspension of transaction capabilities until verification is completed.

Need Help?

Our support team is available 24/7 to assist you with the authorization process.
[Contact us]

MoonPay | Secure Digital Asset Infrastructure

This is an official compliance notification. MoonPay is committed to maintaining the highest standards of security and regulatory compliance.

[Privacy Policy] | [Terms of Service] | [Unsubscribe]

© 2026 MoonPay. All rights reserved.

This email was sent to you as a registered MoonPay user.
If you believe you received this email in error, please contact support immediately.

A fake MetaMask wallet page used in this scam:

Screenshot of the real MoonPay website:

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:

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Quick menu:

• What is MoonPay Account Needs Verification phishing scam?
• 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 scam emails are not personally targeted. They are sent in bulk to large lists of addresses that scammers collect through data breaches, fake websites, and similar methods. Most recipients have no prior connection to MoonPay or to the actual sender.

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

If you entered your wallet's Secret Recovery Phrase, act immediately - create a new cryptocurrency wallet and transfer all funds to it before the scammers can do so themselves. If you also shared other sensitive details such as payment card information or identification documents, contact the relevant financial institutions or authorities without delay.

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

It depends on the file type. Executable files typically cause an infection the moment they are opened. Document formats generally require a further step, such as enabling macros or running an embedded installer, before any harmful process begins.

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

No. Simply reading or viewing an email does not put your device at risk. An infection requires active interaction - opening an attachment, clicking a malicious link, or running downloaded content.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove the vast majority of known malware infections. That said, some advanced threats are designed to conceal themselves deep within the system, so running a complete scan is essential to make sure nothing is missed.