What is the "Request To Permanently Delete Your Account" email scam

What kind of email is "Request To Permanently Delete Your Account"?

We have inspected this email and determined that it is a phishing message disguised as a mailbox termination notice from an email administrator. It falsely claims that someone asked for the recipient's email account to be permanently deleted. The letter exists only to push recipients onto a fake sign-in page that steals email account passwords, and it should be ignored.

More about the "Request To Permanently Delete Your Account" email

The email arrives under the subject "MAILBOX TERMINATION NOTICE." and is signed by an "E-Mail Administrator" and a "Mailbox Team". It states that a request to permanently delete the recipient's account has been received and that the request must be confirmed within 24 hours to complete the termination process.

Two links are offered: one to approve the deletion and one to keep the mailbox active. Both are bait. The message also warns that ignoring it will cause mail malfunction and final deactivation, which is simply a pressure tactic meant to make people click before they think.

At the time of our inspection, the links led to a page hosted at businesszip--yasminscott873.replit[.]app. The site identifies which email service the recipient uses based on their address and imitates that provider's login page. In the case we examined, it displayed a Gmail-themed sign-in window, but users of other providers are shown pages matching their own webmail service.

To look convincing, the fake page shows a bar listing the operating system, browser, date, and approximate location of the visitor, followed by a request to enter the account password "to continue". Everything typed there is delivered straight to the scammers rather than to any email provider.

A stolen mailbox password is a serious problem. Attackers can read private correspondence, reset the passwords of any other services registered to that address, and impersonate the victim to reach colleagues, friends, and family with more scams or malware. In some cases, the hijacked account is used to access shopping, banking, or social media profiles, which can lead to monetary loss and identity theft.

It must be stressed that Google and other email providers whose branding may appear on these pages have nothing to do with this campaign. Their names and logos are abused without permission.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this email is a phishing attempt dressed up as an administrative warning about an account deletion request. Its only purpose is to harvest webmail credentials on a fraudulent login page. Recipients should not click the links or type their password anywhere the email leads them.

Sometimes, scams like this are used to deliver malware.

More examples of similar scam emails are IRS Document Available For Review, Interactive Brokers Two-Factor Authentication, and cPanel Server Upgrade.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Criminals frequently use email to spread malicious files. The attachments can be executables, Microsoft Office or PDF documents, archives such as ZIP and RAR, or script files. Opening such a file, or enabling a feature it asks for (for example, malicious macro commands in a document), starts the infection chain.

Links work in a similar way. They can point to pages that begin a download automatically or that persuade visitors to fetch and run a harmful program themselves. In most cases, nothing happens until the recipient interacts with the attachment or the link, which is why caution alone prevents the majority of these infections.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat unexpected emails with suspicion, especially those that demand urgent action, warn about account closure, or arrive from senders you do not recognize. Do not open their attachments and do not click their links. When a message claims to come from a service you use, open that service by typing its address in the browser yourself and check the account status there.

Download programs and updates only from official websites and official app stores. Pirated software, cracking tools, and key generators are a common source of infections, so they are best avoided entirely. Keeping the operating system and installed applications updated closes the security holes that malware relies on.

Also, run a reputable antivirus suite and keep it enabled, and do not allow unfamiliar websites to send browser notifications. 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 "Request To Permanently Delete Your Account" email letter:

Subject: MAILBOX TERMINATION NOTICE.

E-Mail Administrator
Hi (********).,

We received a request to permanently delete your account (********).
Please confirm this request to complete the termination process before 24hrs .

[Yes, I want my account deleted]

[No, I still want my account] to stay secured and keep enjoying your mailbox services .

Thanks,
Mailbox Team .

NOTE: Failure to oblige will lead to mail malfunction and final email De-activation

Replies sent to this email cannot be answered

A fake email provider login website used in this scam:

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Quick menu:

• What is Request To Permanently Delete Your Account 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?

Emails of this kind are sent out in bulk, so there is nothing personal about receiving one. Cybercriminals collect addresses from data leaks, deceptive websites, and similar sources, and then mail the same message to everyone on the list.

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

Change the password of the affected email account immediately, and change it on every other account that uses the same or a similar password. Enabling two-factor authentication adds another barrier.

If you also shared banking, credit card, or identification details, contact your bank and the relevant authorities as soon as possible.

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

That depends on the file. Executables usually run their payload the moment they are opened, while documents and archives normally need an extra step, such as enabling macros or launching an installer stored inside, before anything malicious happens.

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

No. Reading a message on its own does not infect anything. Systems are compromised only after a user opens an attached file or clicks a link that leads to malicious content.

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

Combo Cleaner detects and removes nearly all known malware. Since advanced threats tend to bury themselves deep in the system, running a full system scan rather than a quick one is important to make sure nothing is left behind.