How to spot scams like Closing Of Email Address Notice !
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "Closing Of Email Address Notice !" email scam?
We have examined this email and concluded that scammers behind it attempt to trick recipients into providing their email account login credentials. Scammers disguised the email as a letter regarding email account deactivation/request for account deactivation.
Closing Of Email Address Notice ! email scam in detail
The email claims that the recipient has requested to deactivate an email account. It is disguised as a letter from the email service provider notifying that the email account will be deactivated within 12 hours from receiving this notice. The email also claims that if the request has been made by mistake or unknowingly, the recipient should immediately stop the account deactivation.
It contains the "CANCEL REQUEST HERE" hyperlink designed to open a phishing website asking to provide the email address and a password. Thus, it is clear that scammers use this site to steal email account login credentials. It is important to know that stolen login credentials may be used to access multiple accounts since some users use the same password for more than one account.
| Name | Closing Of Email Address Notice ! Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Email account will be deactivated within 12 hours |
| Related Domain | netlify[.]app |
| Detection Names (netlify[.]app) | Avast (Phishing), Combo Cleaner (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), Kaspersky (Phishing), Sophos (Phishing), Full List (VirusTotal) |
| Disguise | Letter from email service provider |
| Symptoms | Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, monetary loss |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Phishing emails in general
Typically, phishing emails are used to trick recipients into providing sensitive information (login credentials, credit card details, etc.). They are disguised as urgent, important and (or) official letters from legitimate entities.
Examples of similar emails are "Web Access For The 2022 Version Email Scam", "You Have Sent The Payment - PayPal Email Scam", "Update Required To Avoid Login Interruption Email Scam". Threat actors can also use email as a tool to deliver malware.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Emails used to distribute malware contain malicious attachments or website links. In both cases, threat actors attempt to trick recipients into downloading and opening/executing a malicious file. Typically, they send emails containing malicious MS Office, PDF documents, archives, JavaScript, executables, or other files (or links designed to download these files).
How to avoid installation of malware?
Do not open files or links in emails that are not relevant and received from unknown senders. Keep in mind that emails of this kind often are used as tools to distribute malware. Download software (and files) from legitimate sources such as official pages and direct links. Avoid opening downloads from other sources (such as unofficial sites, P2P networks, third-party downloaders, etc.).
Keep the operating system and installed software up to date. Update (and activate) it properly - achieve it using tools provided by official developers. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Appearance of the "Closing Of Email Address Notice !" email (GIF):
Text in this email:
Subject: Email Account De-activation Request
Sender Action RequiredeMail Account Deactivation
Closing Of Email Address Notice !
Attention *********** ,We have received your request to Deactivate your email account below, and the request will be concluded within 12hours from now.
Affected Email
Account Details
Domain : -
User : -
Email : -
Time : 2/7/2022 5:45:24 p.m.CANCEL REQUEST HERE
If you did not make this request or you made it by mistake or unknowingly, quickly take action above to stop this email termination process, but if you made this request kindly ignore this message as this account will be terminated soon.
Note: If you fail to cancel this process above, we advise you to backup your mails and contacts as you will lose all your messages and contacts when this email "***********" account termination is concluded.
©***********
Source: Administrator Support ©2022 Cyber security deptThe information contained in or attached to this communication is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and others authorized to receive it. It may contain confidential or legally privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify me immediately by responding to this email and then delete it from your system. We are neither liable for the proper and complete transmission of the information contained in this communication nor for any delay in its receipt.
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted using this email scam:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is Closing Of Email Address Notice ! phishing email?
- 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?
Usually, scammers send the same letters to all email addresses in their database. These emails are not personal.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have opened the phishing website in this email and provided your account credentials, change all passwords immediately.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
It depends on the type of file that has been opened. If that file is executable (for example, ".exe" file), then a computer is likely already infected. In other cases, malicious files do not infect computers unless users perform two or more steps. For example, malicious MS Office documents do not infect computers unless users enable macros commands in them.
I have read the email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, opening an email but leaving its contents (files and links in it) unopened is harmless. Computers get infected after clicking links within the emails or opening attached files.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate almost all known malware infections. When computers are infected with high-end malware, it is necessary to scan them using a full scan. Otherwise, the antivirus software may not detect that malware.
Outstanding!
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