What sort of email scam is "Unresolved Inbound Items"

What is "Unresolved Inbound Items" scam email?

We have examined this email and concluded that it is a phishing scam. The message impersonates the recipient's email service provider and falsely claims there are unresolved inbound messages requiring immediate attention. Its goal is to steal email login credentials through a fraudulent website. The email should be ignored and deleted.

"Unresolved Inbound Items" email scam overview

The email arrives with the subject line "Domain restoration needed urgently" and is signed as support from an unnamed provider. It claims the recipient's email address has unresolved inbound items and urges them to click "Inspect Messages" to review them. A status label reading "Requires review" is used to create a sense of urgency.

Clicking the button redirects to a phishing page hosted through Google Cloud Workstations at 9000-firebase-verify-1781672856551.cluster-axf5tvtfjjfekvhwxwkkkzsk2y.cloudworkstations[.]dev. The site loads the real Gmail website in the background while displaying a fake login overlay on top.

The overlay is titled "gmail Portal" and prompts the visitor to enter an email address and password. The genuine Gmail page visible behind the form is meant to lend the fake login a false air of legitimacy. Any credentials entered are sent directly to the scammers.

The phishing site likely adapts its branding to match the recipient's email provider. A Gmail user sees a Gmail-themed overlay, while users of other services may encounter a form styled to imitate their own provider instead.

With a stolen email password, cybercriminals gain access to the victim's inbox, can reset passwords for linked services, harvest private data, and use the compromised account to send further phishing messages to the victim's contacts. Google and all legitimate email providers have no connection to this scam whatsoever.

Email scams in general

In summary, this email is a phishing scam disguised as a notification from the recipient's email provider. It leads to a fraudulent login page designed to capture email credentials. Recipients should avoid interacting with the message or entering any details on sites it links to. It is also worth noting that scam emails are sometimes used to deliver malware.

More examples of phishing and other email scams we have investigated are DHL Express Shipment Update, Administrator Update, and Security Verification Needed.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns distribute malware through malicious email attachments or links leading to harmful websites. The attachments can include executable files, Office documents, PDF files, archives, JavaScript files, and other formats. Opening or running these files can trigger a malware installation chain on the affected device.

Links in spam emails may send recipients to sites that initiate automatic downloads or prompt users to run a file themselves. In most cases, some degree of user interaction is needed - such as opening a file or enabling malicious macro commands in a document - before the system is compromised.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with unexpected emails, particularly those that urge you to click a link or open an attachment. If you cannot verify the sender or the request seems unusual, do not interact with it. Where possible, confirm the message through official contact methods before taking any action.

Download software only from official websites and verified stores. Avoid pirated content, cracked programs, and key generators, as these are frequent carriers of malware. Keep your operating system and installed applications updated regularly.

Use a reputable anti-malware program and keep it active. Do not allow unfamiliar websites to send you browser notifications. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to detect and remove any threats that may have been installed.

Text presented in the "Unresolved Inbound Items Email Scam" email letter:

Subject: Domain restoration needed urgently

Account Notification

Hello ********,

We discovered unresolved inbound items tied to the address ( ******** ). To review and manage those items, please follow the secure action below.
Current status: Requires review

Recommended steps:

Open the link below to inspect the items
Confirm retrieval where applicable
Contact support if you need assistance: Support

[Inspect Messages]

After completing the action, please verify your primary and junk folders. If something looks unfamiliar, reach out to your technical team promptly.

Regards,
******** Support
This communication is intended for the listed recipient. If you received it in error, please contact your administrator.

A fake email service login page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Unresolved Inbound Items 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?

Cybercriminals send scam emails in bulk to addresses collected from data breaches, fake websites, and similar sources. The emails are not personally targeted - thousands of recipients may receive the same message at the same time.

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

Change your email password immediately. Also update passwords for any other accounts where you use the same credentials.

If you also shared more sensitive data such as identification or payment details, contact the relevant institutions or authorities without delay.

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

Executable files typically cause infection as soon as they are opened. Document types such as PDFs or Word files generally carry lower immediate risk but may still require the user to enable macros or take another action before malware activates. The level of risk depends on the file type and what actions were taken.

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

No. Reading an email cannot infect your computer. Malware only activates when a user interacts with malicious content, such as opening an attached file or clicking a harmful link.

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

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing most known malware. Running a full system scan is recommended, as some advanced threats may hide more deeply and require a thorough search to be identified and removed.