What is the "Update Your Hardware Wallet" email scam

What kind of email is "Update Your Hardware Wallet"?

After examining this email, we determined it is a phishing scam. The message is disguised as an urgent firmware update notification from Trezor, a well-known hardware wallet manufacturer. It tricks recipients into visiting a fake login page where their email credentials are stolen. This email should be ignored.

"Update Your Hardware Wallet" email scam overview

The email claims the recipient's Trezor device has a critical issue preventing it from updating to the latest system version. It presents a hard deadline and warns that failing to update may result in restricted access to their cryptocurrency portfolio and greater exposure to security risks.

An "Update Now" button is included to push recipients into acting quickly without stopping to question the message. The closing line claims the email was sent to keep Trezor device owners informed, lending the message a false sense of authority.

Clicking the link leads to a page styled as a standard webmail login portal. The page requests an email address and a password. Anything entered there goes directly to the scammers, not to any Trezor service or update process.

A real Trezor firmware update would never require signing into an email account. This disconnect is deliberate. Victims who enter their credentials risk having their email accounts hijacked, which can lead to further fraud, financial loss, and identity theft.

Trezor is a legitimate company that produces hardware wallets for securely storing cryptocurrency. It has no connection to this scam and does not send emails demanding account logins under fabricated update deadlines.

Similar scam emails in general

In summary, this is a phishing email that impersonates Trezor to steal email account credentials. It uses a fabricated security deadline and false urgency to push victims toward a fraudulent login page.

This email should be deleted without interacting with any of its content. Scams of this type are also sometimes used to distribute malware.

More examples of similar scam emails are Mailbox Policy Update, Capital One Card Is Locked, and Email Delivery Failure Notification.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often distribute malware by attaching harmful files to emails or embedding links to compromised websites. These files can take many forms, including executable programs, office documents, PDFs, archives, and scripts. Opening them, or enabling features like malicious macro commands, can allow malware to infect the device.

Malicious links can also lead to pages that trigger automatic downloads or instruct users to run harmful programs manually. Typically, a threat only becomes active once the user interacts with the content - by opening a file, enabling macros, or launching an installer.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with unexpected emails, especially those from unknown senders that contain attachments or links. Scammers frequently disguise malicious files as invoices, delivery notices, or urgent security alerts. If an email seems suspicious, verify it through official channels before taking any action.

Download software only from official websites and trusted app stores. Avoid pirated programs, key generators, and unofficial download sources - these frequently carry hidden malware. Keeping your operating system and applications up to date also helps close vulnerabilities that attackers exploit.

Using reputable antivirus software provides an important layer of protection. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to detect and remove any threats that may have been installed.

Text presented in the "Update Your Hardware Wallet" email letter:

Subject: Please confirm to continue.

Dear ********,

We have identified a critical issue preventing your device from updating to the latest system version. While your hardware wallet remains secure, this is your final reminder that access to your device may be compromised if the required update is not completed immediately.

Deadline: JUNE 09, 2026

Failure to update your device by this date may result in restricted access to your portfolio and increased vulnerability to security risks.
This firmware update includes critical security enhancements designed to protect your assets from potential threats. Without it, your device may be exposed to risks that could compromise your access to your funds.

[Update Now]

Your security is our top priority, and we are committed to helping you keep your assets safe. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact our support team.

Sincerely,

This notification was sent to ******** as part of our commitment to keeping Trezor device owners informed about important security updates.

A fake webmail login page used in this scam:

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Update Your Hardware Wallet 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 messages are distributed in bulk to large lists of addresses. Scammers typically compile those lists through data breaches, fake websites, or similar data-gathering methods. The emails are not usually targeted at specific individuals.

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

Change the passwords of any accounts whose credentials you may have entered, starting with your email account. If payment or identification details were also submitted, contact the relevant financial institution or authorities without delay.

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

The risk depends on the file type. Executable files generally activate a threat the moment they are opened. Documents and archives typically require additional interaction, such as enabling macros or launching an included installer, before any infection begins.

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

Simply reading the email does not put your device at risk. Infections only occur when you interact with malicious content - such as opening an attachment, running a file, or clicking a link. If you only read the message, your computer is not infected.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware. Running a full system scan is essential, as sophisticated threats can hide deep within a system and may not be identified without a thorough check.