How to spot scams like the YOUR MAILBOX IS OUTDATED email scam

What is kind of scam is "YOUR MAILBOX IS OUTDATED"?

After inspection, we have concluded that this is a phishing email pretending to be a letter from the email service provider. Scammers behind this email aim to trick recipients into providing personal information. The email contains a hyperlink that opens a deceptive website (fake Webmail login page) asking to provide a password.

More about the "YOUR MAILBOX IS OUTDATED" email scam

The mail claims that the mailbox is outdated. Thus, incoming emails are pending. It also states that the server cannot retrieve 15 incoming emails and instructs to update to the newest version of the Webmail to retrieve those emails.

The email contains the "Request New Version" HTML button that opens a fake Webmail website asking visitors to enter their email account password. Providing information on this page allows scammers to steal email accounts (and other accounts using the same login credentials).

Threat Summary:

Name	YOUR MAILBOX IS OUTDATED Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Mailbox is outdated/incoming emails are pending
Related Domain	imexpharm[.]com
Detection Names (imexpharm[.]com)	Fortinet (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (imexpharm[.]com)	42.119.111.249
Disguise	Letter from the email service provider
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer.
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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner 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 read more.

Emails of this type in general

Most emails of this type are more or less similar. They are disguised as letters from legitimate companies (or other entities) and ask recipients to provide sensitive information (e.g., passwords, credit card details). Usually, they contain a link that opens a deceptive page.

More examples of similar emails are "SMTP/Sendmail Service Is Disabled Email Scam", "Coca Cola Lottery Email Scam", and "Mail Delivery Successful Email Scam". Emails can be used not only to extract sensitive information but also to deliver malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

When an email is sent to deliver malware, it contains a website link or attachment. In both cases, the purpose of such an email is to trick a recipient into opening a malicious file. Whether a computer gets infected after opening a malicious file depends on its type.

For example, executable files infect computers after opening them. Malicious MS Office documents do not infect computers until they are opened, and macros commands are enabled (editing/content is enabled). Cybercriminals also use PDF documents, JavaScript files, archive files, and other types of files to distribute malware.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Do not open attachments and website links in emails sent from unknown/suspicious email addresses. Especially when received emails do not concern you. Download software from legitimate sources such as official pages, platforms. Avoid using shady pages, third-party downloaders, P2P networks, and similar sourcs.

Always use tools, functions created/provided by the official developers to update and activate the installed software. Keep software up to date. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "YOUR MAILBOX IS OUTDATED" email:

Subject: Mailbox Version Outdated - To Fix Errors - Update Version

YOUR MAILBOX IS OUTDATED. INCOMING EMAILS ARE PENDING.

User: -
Domain: -

The server cannot retrieve your 15 incoming emails.
You are using the old and outdated version of the potaglasmalaysia.com mailbox.

Kindly use the button below to request and migrate the newest version of the webmail.

All your pending emails (15) will be retrieved in your inbox when you request for update.

Request New Version

Privacy Statement

Email encryption powered-.  Unsubscribe
- Corporation,

Screenshot of the phishing website asking to enter a password:

Another example of an outdated email-themed spam promoting a phishing site:

Text presented within:

Subject: - notiFication desk

 

Server Administrator | IT Support

    
Dear -,

Your version of mailbox has been outdated, we are deactivating all old versions and non-active users due to server laggings induced by outdates. Please confirm and update your  email address - to keep your account from being deactivated.
Confirm and Update

Account will be automatically deactivated after 24 hours from now. You can change the frequency of these notifications within your mailbox portal.
MailBox Corporations | One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399

This message was sent from an unmonitored email address. Please do not reply to this message.

Privacy |  Legal

Screenshot of the promoted phishing site:

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner 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 read more.

Quick menu:

• What is YOUR MAILBOX IS OUTDATED 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 email to all addresses in their database. They obtain email addresses after data breaches and in similar ways.

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

If you entered your password on the opened phishing page, change all passwords immediately, especially if more than one account can be accessed with the provided email address and password.

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

If the file was an executable, then most certainly yes. In other cases (e.g., when the file attached to an email is a malicious MS Office document), malicious files do not infect until certain multiple steps are performed.

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

Opening an email is harmless. Thus, your computer is not infected if you have not opened any file or link in an email.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate malware. It can find almost all known malware. If a computer is infected with high-end malware, a computer must be scanned using a full scan option.

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