What is "Mail Security Notice" email scam

What is "Mail Security Notice" scam?

We examined this email and determined that it is a phishing scam. It is disguised as a routine security notice from an email account's IT support team, urging recipients to re-verify their account to avoid losing mailbox access. In reality, the message is designed to steal email login credentials. It should be ignored, since following its instructions could result in the recipient's email account being taken over by scammers.

More about the "Mail Security Notice" scam email

The email arrives with the subject line "MAIL SECURITY NOTICE" and is signed by a so-called "Mail Admin". It claims that a routine security review requires confirmation of the recipient's email account and that account settings must be verified to maintain uninterrupted access to the mailbox. A green "Re-Verify" button is included, and clicking it leads to a fraudulent login page.

The linked page is a fake "Webmail" login screen styled to resemble a generic hosting-provider email portal, similar to those used by cPanel-based webmail systems. The recipient's email address is already filled in, and the page asks only for the account password. It also offers a "Log in via cPanelID" option and a row of language choices, both common features of phishing kits built to target email accounts hosted with many different providers.

Entering a password on this page sends it directly to the scammers operating the site. Once they control an email account, they can read private messages, reset passwords for other linked services such as banking, shopping, or social media accounts, and use the mailbox to send further scam or malware-laden emails to the victim's contacts. This can quickly lead to identity theft and financial loss.

This email is not associated with any legitimate hosting provider, email service, or genuine IT department. It is a generic template designed to look like an official internal notice, but it originates entirely from scammers and has nothing to do with the recipient's actual mailbox provider or employer.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this email is a phishing scam disguised as a routine mail security notice. It aims to steal the recipient's email account password through a fraudulent webmail login page. Recipients should ignore the email and avoid entering any information on the linked site to protect themselves from account takeover and identity theft.

Sometimes, scams like this are used to deliver malware.

More examples of similar scam emails are Mailbox Quarantine Alert, Account Not Validated, and SWIFT Confirmation Copy.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals frequently use email to spread malware by attaching malicious files. These can be executable programs, Office documents, PDFs, archive files such as ZIP or RAR, or script files. Opening such an attachment, or enabling a feature like macros within it, can trigger the installation of malware on the device.

Such emails can also contain links that lead to dangerous websites. Visiting one of these sites may start an automatic download of malicious software, or it may try to convince the visitor to download and run a harmful file manually. In most cases, some action from the recipient, such as clicking a link or opening a file, is needed for an infection to occur.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with emails that arrive unexpectedly, especially those urging immediate action regarding account security. Avoid opening attachments or clicking links sent by unknown or suspicious senders, and check the actual destination of any button or link before clicking it.

Download programs and updates only from official websites and built-in app stores or update features. Avoid pirated software, cracking tools, and key generators, as these are commonly used to spread malware. Keep the operating system and installed applications updated, and use reputable antivirus software.

If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Mail Security Notice" email letter:

Subject: MAIL SECURITY NOTICE

MAIL SECURITY NOTICE

Dear -,

A routine security review requires confirmation of your email account ********.

Please verify your account settings to maintain uninterrupted access to your mailbox.

Thank you.

[Re-Verify]

Mail Admin

All rights reserved. @ 2026

A fake webmail login page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Mail Security Notice 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 emails are sent out in bulk to large numbers of people, not targeted at any specific individual. Scammers typically obtain email addresses from data breaches, fake websites, or other similar sources.

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

If you entered your email password on the fake page, change it immediately through your real account settings, and update the password on any other account that used the same one. If banking or identification details were also shared, contact the relevant institutions right away.

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

Executable files can infect a system as soon as they are run. Documents, archives, and similar files usually need an extra step from the user, such as enabling macros or running an installer, before any malware becomes active.

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

No. Simply receiving and reading this email does not put your computer at risk. Infections occur only after a user clicks a malicious link, opens an infected attachment, or interacts with the harmful content in some other way.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known forms of malware, but running a full system scan is recommended to make sure that no infiltrated threats remain undetected.