Avoid having your email stolen via fake "Account Violation Detected" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Account Violation Detected"?
Our analysis of the "Account Violation Detected" email revealed that it is spam. This letter makes false claims regarding violations of the recipient's email account. The aim of this phishing mail is to trick users into disclosing their log-in credentials.
"Account Violation Detected" email scam overview
The email with the subject "Final warning" (may vary) attempts to create a strong impression of urgency. The spam letter instructs the recipient to immediately verify the ownership of their email due to violations detected on the account.
It must be stressed that these claims are fake, and this mail is in no way associated with any legitimate service providers.
At the time of research, this email redirected to a non-functional website. However, our experience allows us to state with confidence that it was intended to lead recipients to a phishing site. It must be mentioned that this could be rectified in potential future releases of this spam mail (i.e., the letters would redirect to an operational phishing website).
These types of emails typically promote fake email account sign-in pages that record entered information (i.e., passwords). Victims of these scams risk more than just losing their email accounts, as cyber criminals may also steal the content registered through them.
To elaborate on the potential damage: finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, cryptocurrency wallets, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and online purchases.
Scammers can also steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and even proliferate malware by sharing malicious files or links.
To summarize, by trusting an email like "Account Violation Detected" – users can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you believe that your log-in credentials have been exposed – immediately change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "Account Violation Detected" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Account violations have been detected on the recipient's email. |
| 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. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
We have investigated thousands of spam emails; "Your Email Has Used Up It Inbox Space", "E-MAIL DELIVERY BLOCKED", "Two-Factor Verification", and "Your Mailbox Will Be Temporarily Blocked" are just some examples of ones used for phishing.
Various scams are facilitated through spam mail, including sextortion, callback, tech support, refund, lottery, inheritance, etc. Furthermore, deceptive emails are used to spread malware.
Due to how prevalent and potentially well-crafted spam mail can be, we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam emails can include infectious files as attachments or download links. These files can be in various formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
It must be mentioned that some formats may require more than just being opened to begin malware download/installation chains. For example, Microsoft Office documents need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote files require them to click on embedded files or links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is paramount to treat incoming emails and other messages with caution. We advise against opening attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be virulent. We recommend using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.
However, malware is not distributed exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant when browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears genuine and harmless.
Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs by using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters may contain malware.
We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated is essential to device and user safety. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove threats and issues. 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 "Account Violation Detected" spam email letter:
Subject: Final warning
URGENT.
Account Violation Detected - Verify Ownership Now!
Confirm Ownership
Thank you,
- Support Center
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Quick menu:
- What is "Account Violation Detected" 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?
Spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute these letters by the thousand with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have provided your account credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, reading an email is not enough to trigger any malware download/installation processes. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether your device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. Executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail when they are opened. However, documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.) may need additional actions (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to start infection processes.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan devices as well as detect and eliminate various threats. It is capable of removing nearly all known malware infections. Note that since high-end malicious programs usually hide deep within systems – performing a complete system scan is crucial.
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