Avoid getting scammed by fake "We Updated Our Policy" emails

What kind of email is "We Updated Our Policy"?

After reading the "We Updated Our Policy" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter falsely claims that the recipient's email account risks deactivation. The goal of this scam is to trick users into disclosing their email log-in credentials (passwords) into a phishing website.

"We Updated Our Policy" email scam overview

This spam email states that the recipient has not accepted the updated terms for their mail service. If this is not done by the deadline, the recipient's mailbox will be disconnected and deactivated.

As mentioned in the introduction, the information provided by "We Updated Our Policy" is false, and this email is not associated with any genuine service providers or other entities.

After the "UPDATE TERMS" button is clicked, the user is redirected to a phishing website that imitates their email account sign-in page. Log-in credentials (passwords) entered into this webpage are recorded and sent to scammers. Hence, victims of the scam can have their emails stolen and experience a variety of serious issues.

Emails, particularly work emails, tend to contain incredibly sensitive information. What is more, a compromised mail account may serve as a gateway to hijacking the platforms and services registered through it.

To expand upon the potential misuse, cyber criminals can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

Additionally, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "We Updated Our Policy" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already provided your account credentials to a phishing site – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"We Updated Our Policy" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's email account will be deactivated unless the new terms of service are accepted.
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

"System Glitch", "Outstanding Statement Of Account", "DHL - Notice For Failed Package Delivery", and "Canada - Powerball" are merely a few of our newest articles on phishing campaigns. These emails primarily target log-in credentials, personally identifiable information, and finance-related data.

However, other scams are promoted through spam mail as well, and it is used to distribute malware. While deceptive emails are often poorly constructed and full of spelling/grammatical errors, they can be competently crafted and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, authorities, etc.).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to proliferate malware. These emails/messages can include malicious files as attachments or download links. Said files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once an infectious file is opened – the malware download/installation chain is triggered. However, some formats require additional interaction to begin system infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages must be approached with caution. Do not open attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or virulent.

It must be mentioned that malware is not spread only through spam mail. Therefore, be vigilant while browsing, as fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous.

Furthermore, download only from official and verified channels. Activate and update software using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

It is paramount for device and user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. 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 "We Updated Our Policy" spam email letter:

Subject: WARNING: Deactivation Notice for “********”

********
We updated our Policy

Hi ******** ,
We noticed that ******** has not accepted our new terms and will be disconnected from ******** on 12 Jul 2024
Tap below and sign-in to get an updated mailbox to avoid being disconnected from our service.

UPDATE TERMS

Thank You

******** Mailbox Deactivation © 2024.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "We Updated Our Policy" 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 "We Updated Our Policy" 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?

Regardless of any relevant information that they may include, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute these messages in large-scale campaigns – therefore, 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 disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if the provided information was of a different personal nature (e.g., passport scans, ID card details, 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?

Reading an email is harmless; devices 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?

Whether an infection occurred might be influenced by the opened file's format. Executables cause infections almost without fail (once opened). While other formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) – may need additional interaction to jumpstart infection chains. Hence, malware download/installation might not begin until the macro commands are enabled, embedded content is correct, and so on.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan systems and eliminate all kinds of threats. It is capable of detecting and removing most of the known malware infections. Note that running a complete system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.

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