How to spot phishing emails like "Web Mail Scam"

What kind of scam is "Web Mail Scam"?

After conducting a comprehensive examination, our team has determined that the purpose of this email is to deceive recipients into divulging their personal information. These emails are categorized as phishing attempts, and in this particular case, the scammers impersonate an email service provider with the intention of tricking recipients into revealing sensitive information on a fraudulent webpage.

More about the "Web Mail Scam" scam email

The phishing email has the subject line "Incoming mails blocked!" and appears to be impersonating a webmail service provider. It presents information in a table format, indicating the recipient's mailbox has a quota limit of 47,984 messages with 1,005 messages used (99%). Additionally, it states that the cPanel account has a disk space limit of 99 GB with 33 GB used (99%).

The email urges the recipient to take action with a "Solve Now" prompt. It aims to deceive recipients into clicking on a website link and providing sensitive information under the guise of addressing an urgent issue. Clicking the "Solve Now" button opens a fake sign-in website requesting email account login credentials (email address and password).

Scammers may use the stolen login credentials to access the victim's email account, allowing them to gather personal information (e.g., bank statements, invoices, or payment details), contacts, and correspondence. This data can be used to engage in financial fraud, impersonate the victim, steal their identity for various fraudulent activities, etc.

Also, scammers may exploit the victim's email account to launch phishing campaigns. They can send deceptive emails to the victim's contacts, using their trust to spread malware, steal more login credentials, or trick recipients into divulging sensitive information.

Moreover, stolen email credentials can lead to the complete takeover of other online accounts linked to the victim's email and (or) using the same login credentials. Thus, it is highly advisable to be cautious of phishing attempts and monitor account activity for any signs of unauthorized access.

Threat Summary:

Name	Web Mail Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Incoming emails are blocked
Disguise	Notification from an 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.

Similar scam emails in general

Phishing emails are fraudulent and deceptive messages sent by cybercriminals with the aim of tricking recipients into taking specific actions, such as clicking on malicious links, downloading malware, or revealing sensitive information like login credentials or financial details.

These emails often appear as though they come from legitimate sources, such as banks, government agencies, or reputable organizations, using convincing logos, language, and formatting.

The ultimate goal of phishing emails is to exploit human trust and curiosity to compromise the recipient's cybersecurity, leading to potential identity theft, financial loss, or the installation of malicious software on their device.

Examples of phishing emails are "Overdue Invoice", "NEW DOCUMENT(S) FOR REVIEW ON CLOUD", and "How I Earned Bitcoins".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Users can inadvertently compromise the security of their computers when they interact with attachments or links in deceitful emails. These misleading emails often contain harmful attachments, such as PDFs, Microsoft Office documents (like Word or Excel files), JavaScript files, executables labeled with .exe extensions, ISO files, or compressed archive formats like ZIP or RAR.

When users open these attachments or click on the provided links, they can unintentionally initiate the download and execution of malicious software.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be vigilant when dealing with emails from unfamiliar or suspicious sources, especially if they include unexpected attachments or links. Always obtain software and files from trustworthy sources like official websites or authorized stores. Avoid potentially risky platforms, such as unofficial app stores, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, torrent sites, and similar sources.

Exercise caution when engaging with advertisements, pop-up notifications, or links on websites that seem suspicious. Install reputable antivirus or anti-malware software on your computer. Make certain that your operating system, software applications, and antivirus program are up to date with the latest updates.

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 "Web Mail Scam" email letter:

Subject: Incoming mails blocked!

WEB MAIL

Quota type     Limit     Used
Mailbox
Messages count     47984     1005 (99%)
cPanel Account
Disk space     99 GB     33 GB (99%)

Solve Now

Screenshot of the phishing page opened via the link in the email:

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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 Web Mail phishing campaign?
• 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?

Criminals send identical messages to numerous recipients, aiming for at least one of them to be deceived. These spam emails lack personalization and are sent in bulk.

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

If you have accidentally exposed personal information, like your email account login credentials, it is crucial to take immediate action. Change your passwords, closely monitor your accounts for any unusual or suspicious activities, and promptly inform your email service provider.

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

If the file was an executable, then it is highly likely that your computer could have been infected. However, if it was a document in formats like .pdf or .doc, there is a possibility you might have avoided infection, as in certain cases, merely opening the document may not be sufficient for malware to compromise your system.

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

Opening an email by itself is entirely harmless. It is when you click on links within the email or open attached files that the risk of system infections arises.

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

Combo Cleaner has the capability to detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. However, it is important to note that advanced (high-end) malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. This is why performing a comprehensive system scan is essential to ensure complete removal.

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