What kind of scam is "Account Security Notice"

What kind of email is "Account Security Notice"?

We have examined this email and determined it is a phishing scam. The message is disguised as an urgent security notice from the recipient's email service provider, falsely claiming that their password is about to expire. Its goal is to lure recipients into clicking fraudulent links that lead to a fake login page built to steal email credentials. This email should be ignored.

"Account Security Notice" email scam overview

The email arrives under the subject line "Password Expiry Notification" and presents itself as an official account security alert. It claims the recipient's email password will expire within two days and warns that failure to act will result in the account being locked.

To create a sense of urgency, the message displays a "Current Status: Action Required Immediately" notice alongside two buttons - "Keep Current Password" and "Manage settings". Both function as phishing links designed to redirect victims to a fraudulent website.

Although the linked website is no longer active, it was most likely designed to imitate a legitimate email provider's login page. Such pages are built to look convincing and prompt visitors to enter their email address and password, which go directly to the scammers.

In some cases, phishing pages of this type adapt their appearance based on the victim's email domain. A Gmail user might see a fake Google login, while an Outlook user would encounter a Microsoft-themed sign-in page instead.

Anyone whose email credentials are stolen faces serious consequences. Scammers can use the hijacked inbox to reset passwords on linked services, read private messages, impersonate the victim, or sell access to other criminals. No legitimate email provider sends messages threatening account closure over a password expiry in this manner.

Similar scam emails in general

In conclusion, the "Account Security Notice" email is a phishing attempt disguised as an urgent notification from an email provider.

Recipients should ignore and delete it without engaging with any of its links or buttons. Campaigns like this can also be used to spread malware.

More examples of similar phishing email campaigns are Zoho Workplace Payment Method Update, LinkedIn Purchase Inquiry, and cPanel Email Quota Limit.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails often carry malware in the form of malicious attachments. These can be executable files, Microsoft Office documents, archives, PDFs, JavaScript files, and other formats. Opening them - or enabling features like malicious macro commands - can trigger malware installation on the device.

Some deceptive emails skip attachments entirely and include links to malicious websites instead. Visiting such a site may automatically download harmful software, or the page may trick the visitor into downloading and running a file manually. Either way, user interaction is generally required to complete the infection.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with any email that arrives unexpectedly, especially if it urges immediate action, contains an attachment, or asks you to click a link. If a message claims to come from a service you use, visit that service's official website directly rather than following links in the email.

Only download software from official developer websites or trusted app stores. Avoid pirated software, key generators, and cracking tools - these are a frequent source of infections. Keeping the operating system and all installed applications up to date also helps close the security gaps that attackers exploit.

A reputable antivirus program and regular system scans are also important. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate any infiltrated malware.

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

Subject: Password Expiry Notification

Account Security Notice
Account Password Expired

We detected that the password for your email ******** will expire in 2 days.

To avoid your email being locked, please check and manage your account settings promptly.

Current Status
Action Required Immediately

[Keep Current Password] [Manage settings]

If no action is taken, we shall not be held liable for any account lockout or closure.

Thank you for choosing ********
© 2025 All rights reserved.
This email is automatically sent, please do not reply directly.

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Quick menu:

• What is Account 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 messages are not aimed at specific individuals. Cybercriminals send them to large batches of addresses collected through data breaches, fake websites, and similar sources. The emails are generic by design.

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

If you entered your email password, change it immediately on every account where you use the same credentials. If you also disclosed other sensitive details such as identification or banking information, contact the relevant institutions or authorities as soon as possible.

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

Executable files (.exe and similar) can compromise a system as soon as they are opened. Other formats such as Office documents or PDFs typically require additional interaction, like enabling macros, before any malware is installed.

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

Simply reading an email does not put your computer at risk. Infection requires actively clicking a malicious link or opening a harmful file.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove a wide range of known malware. Running a full system scan is recommended to improve the chances of identifying and eliminating any threats that may have been installed.