What kind of scam is "Two-step Verification Was Enabled" email

What kind of email is "Two-step Verification Was Enabled"?

We have inspected this email and determined that it is a phishing scam. The message falsely claims that two-step verification was recently enabled on the recipient's account and urges them to review their security settings immediately. It leads to a fake login page designed to steal email account credentials and should be ignored.

"Two-step Verification Was Enabled" email scam overview

The email arrives under the subject line "Two-Factor Protection Successfully Added" and claims that two-step verification was just enabled on the recipient's account. It warns the recipient to review the change immediately or risk being logged out.

The message includes a "Review account security" button. Clicking it opens a fraudulent website that overlays a fake login form on what appears to be the real Gmail interface. The form asks visitors to supply their email address and password.

The phishing site is hosted on legitimate cloud infrastructure that the scammers are abusing. This can make the page appear more trustworthy than a typical scam site - but any credentials typed into the form go directly to the cybercriminals running the campaign.

Stolen email account credentials can be used to hijack the account, read private messages, access linked services, and reset passwords on other platforms. Cybercriminals may also sell compromised login details to other bad actors.

No legitimate email service provider sends security alerts that redirect users to third-party login pages. This email has no connection to Gmail, Google, or any other genuine email service.

Similar scam emails in general

In conclusion, the "Two-step Verification Was Enabled" email is a phishing scam disguised as a security notification from an email service provider. Its goal is to steal login credentials through a fake sign-in page. This type of campaign is sometimes also used to distribute malware. The email should be deleted.

More examples of similar phishing campaigns targeting email account holders are Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Benefit Statement, Email Migration Notice, and Complete The Required Mailbox Update.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often distribute malware by sending emails that carry malicious attachments or links. Attachments can take many forms, including executable files, Office documents, PDFs, archives, JavaScript files, and other formats.

Following a malicious link can redirect the user to a site that silently downloads malware, or tricks them into downloading and running it themselves. Interacting with infected attachments - such as enabling malicious macro commands in a document - is often what starts the infection.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Approach unexpected emails with caution, especially those pressing for urgent action. Avoid clicking links or opening attachments in messages from senders you do not recognize or did not expect to hear from.

Only download software from official developer websites and trusted app stores. Steer clear of pirated software, cracks, and key generators, as these are frequently bundled with malware.

Keep your operating system and all applications up to date. Use a reputable antivirus program and run regular scans. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to remove any threats that may have been installed.

Text presented in the "Two-step Verification Was Enabled" email letter:

Subject: Two-Factor Protection Successfully Added

Two-step factor Added successfully.

This is a notification regarding your account. Please review immediately the information below and complete any required action if applicable or you will be logged-out from your account.

Two-step verification was enabled on your account.
Account: ********
Date: 7/26/2026 3:45:14 p.m.
[Review account security]

© Tiekerhook Your Company
This is an automated notification. Please do not reply directly to this message.

A fake login page used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Two-step Verification Was Enabled 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?

Scam emails are distributed in large batches to many recipients at once. Cybercriminals collect email addresses through data breaches, fake websites, and other methods. These messages are typically not targeted at specific individuals.

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

If you entered your login credentials, change the password for the affected account immediately, along with any other accounts where the same password is used.

If you also provided banking or identification details, contact the relevant financial institution or authorities as soon as possible.

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

It depends on the file type. Executable files (.exe) can activate malware as soon as they are opened. Document formats like PDF or Word files typically require additional interaction, such as enabling macros, before any malicious code can run.

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

No. Simply opening and reading an email does not infect a computer. Malware requires the user to click a malicious link or open a harmful file. If you did not interact with any content in the email, your device is not at risk.

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

Yes. Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware. A full system scan is recommended rather than a quick one, since some threats are designed to hide deep within the system.