Do not trust fake "Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes" emails

What kind of email is "Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes"?

After inspecting the "Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes" email, we determined that it is spam. It makes false claims regarding the misuse of an email account associated with the recipient's domain. This phishing mail aims to deceive victims into disclosing their log-in credentials.

"Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Urgent verification required!!!" (may vary) is presented as a "Security Alart!!!" (misspelled so in the letter). The "alert" informs the recipient that their domain is being used to distribute spam by an anonymous user. The recipient is urged to verify the email account linked to their domain to stop its abuse.

It must be stressed that this information is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or other entities.

After we pressed the "Verify Email Address" button, it resulted in a redirect to a website that was down. Based on our experience investigating emails of this kind, we can conclude that it was supposed to redirect to a phishing site, likely one disguised as an email sign-in page. Keep in mind that it could be fixed in potential future releases of this spam campaign (i.e., emails will promote operational webpages).

Data entered into phishing websites (such as log-in credentials) are recorded and sent to scammers. Emails are commonly targeted as they can include incredibly sensitive information and serve as an avenue for gaining unauthorized access to content registered through these accounts.

Confidential/Compromising information can be used by cyber criminals for blackmail or other nefarious purposes. Additionally, through a stolen email, control may be gained over connected accounts and platforms.

The unauthorized access can be variously abused, e.g., scammers can steal the identities of account owners (emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and ask contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and proliferate malware.

Furthermore, hijacked finance-related accounts (online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if you've provided other private data to scammers (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, debit/credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

If you believe that your device may have been infected – perform a full system scan with an anti-virus and remove all detected threats.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Email account associated with the recipient's domain is being misused for spam.
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

We have investigated countless spam emails; "T-Mobile Network Global Funds Relief", "EUROJACKPOT", "Remittance Note", "Commercial Invoice", and "Wells Fargo - Card Activity Verification" are merely some examples of phishing campaigns.

Mail of this kind predominantly targets log-in credentials, personally identifiable data, and finance-related information. Spam emails are also used to promote other scams and even spread malware.

While the commonly held belief that these emails are poorly constructed and full of grammatical/spelling errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently made and even convincingly mimic messages from genuine entities (e.g., service providers, companies, institutions, organizations, authorities, etc.).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cyber criminals often use spam campaigns for malware distribution. Deceptive emails and messages can include malicious files as attachments or links. The files can be archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once such a file is opened – the malware download/installation process is triggered. Some formats need additional interaction 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 links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, or other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious.

However, malware is not proliferated only via spam mail. Therefore, we advise vigilance when browsing, as fraudulent and malicious online content typically appears legitimate and harmless.

Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and verified channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.

We must emphasize the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected 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 "Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes" spam email letter:

Subject: Urgent verification required!!!

******** Security Alart!!!

Dear valued customer,

We regret to inform you that your subscribed domain, ********, is currently being used for spamming purposes by an anonnymous user. To claim ownership and prevent misuse, we kindly request you to urgently verify your email address associated with the ********.

Your prompt action is crucial in maintaining the integrity and reputation of your domain. Please click the button below to verify your email address:

Verify Email Address

Should you have any queries or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Copyright © 2024 ********. All rights reserved.

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Quick menu:

• What is "Subscribed Domain Used For Spamming Purposes" 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, regardless of any information relevant to the recipients that they may include. Such data is most commonly obtained through publicly available sources. Spam mail is distributed in large-scale campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar emails.

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've disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

No, merely reading an email is harmless. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your device was infected. However, you might have avoided triggering a system infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats may require additional actions (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to begin malware download/installation.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing almost all known malware infections. Note that performing a complete system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.

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