Avoid having your account stolen via fake "Deletion Of Your Account" emails

What kind of email is "Deletion Of Your Account"?

"Deletion Of Your Account" is a phishing email. This fake message claims that the recipient's email account will be deleted unless it is updated. Preventing the supposed termination requires the user to sign into their account via a phishing site that records entered credentials.

"Deletion Of Your Account" email scam overview

The spam letter with the subject "Email Verification For Mailbox [recipient's_email_address]" (may vary) informs that the account has not been updated for a long time. Allegedly, unless it is updated – the recipient's account will be deleted. It must be stressed that these claims are false, and this mail is in no way associated with any genuine service providers.

After we pressed the "Do not delete my account" button, it resulted in a redirect to a phishing website that imitated the recipient's email account sign-in page. Despite its relatively legitimate appearance, this site records entered information (i.e., email account passwords) and sends it to the scammers.

Cyber criminals can do more damage than just steal the email, as these accounts are typically used to register other content – therefore, it may also get hijacked.

To elaborate: criminals can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social media, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, cryptocurrency wallets, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and/or online purchases.

In summary, by trusting an email like "Deletion Of Your Account" – users can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Deletion Of Your Account" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	The recipient's email account will be deleted due to being outdated.
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.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Authentication Failure", "Webmail Account Upgrade", "New Version For Your Mailbox", and "Funds Has Been Credited To Your Account" are merely some examples of phishing emails we have inspected recently. Spam letters of this kind can target a broad range of information, most commonly – log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related data.

Various scams are facilitated through spam, e.g., phishing, sextortion, tech support, callback, refund, inheritance, lottery, etc. Deceptive emails are also utilized in malware distribution.

While infamous for their spelling errors, spam messages can be competently disguised as notifications from legitimate service providers, companies, organizations, authorities, and other entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are commonly used to proliferate malware. These emails/messages include malicious files as attachments or download links. Virulent files can be in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Upon opening, these files trigger malware download/installation processes. However, some formats may need additional actions to initiate infection chains. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly recommend caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious. Another recommendation is to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed only via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant while browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous.

Furthermore, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy sources. It is just as important to activate and update software by using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated is paramount to device/user safety. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove threats/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 "Deletion Of Your Account" spam email letter:

Subject: Email Verification For Mailbox -

Deletion of your - account

Hello,

It has been a while since you last updated -.

To keep our digital footprint as small as possible, we automatically delete accounts that are not updated. Your account has been scheduled for deletion.

If you would like to keep your account open, press the button below.

Do not delete my account

- is a form-to-email service with top-tier support for  HTML, React, Webflow, and more.

- integrates with your email address, Zapier, Make, Integromat, and Slack.

© 2023 -
We will not send you any further emails

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Deletion Of Your Account" spam campaign:

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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 "Deletion Of Your Account" 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?

In general, spam mail is not personal. Cyber criminals distribute these emails in massive campaigns 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 possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if you have disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant authorities.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked; just reading an email is not enough to trigger system infection processes.

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

Whether the system was infected might depend on the opened file's format. Executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail the moment they are opened. While documents (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) might need extra actions to start downloading/installing malware (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. It must be stressed that running a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.

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