Avoid getting scammed by fake "Email Delivery Notification Portal" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Email Delivery Notification Portal"?
Our inspection of "Email Delivery Notification Portal" revealed that it is spam. This scam letter informs the recipient that multiple emails were withheld due to being considered "unknown".
Supposedly, these imaginary messages can be reviewed, and by attempting to do so – recipients are deceived into providing their log-in credentials to a phishing site.
"Email Delivery Notification Portal" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "You have 7 Blocked Incoming Emails on your Email Account [recipient's_email_address] Fix Now" (may vary) states that multiple messages were prevented from reaching the inbox. The seven emails were identified as "unknown" – thus, they were withheld. The recipient can investigate the messages and select what is to be done with them.
It must be stressed that the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or entities.
After clicking the "Review Message" button, we were redirected to a phishing site. It is disguised as an email account sign-in page that instructs logging in to avoid account deactivation. Email passwords entered into such fraudulent webpages are recorded and sent to scammers.
Stolen emails can be variously misused: sensitive information discovered therein could be used for blackmail or other malicious purposes, they could serve as a gateway to hijacking linked accounts/platforms, and so on.
To expand on the potential abuse of the unauthorized access, cyber criminals can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, messengers, social media, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links/files.
Furthermore, 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, by trusting an email like "Email Delivery Notification Portal" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials to scammers – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.
| Name | "Email Delivery Notification Portal" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Seven emails were undelivered because they were deemed "unknown". |
| 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
"Financial Statements Has Been Shared With You", "Upgrade Your Mailbox Disk-Space", "Disbursement Form", and "Doing Business With Your Company" are merely some of our latest articles on phishing campaigns. Aside from usernames/passwords, these emails commonly target personally identifiable information and finance-related data.
Other scams are promoted through spam mail as well, including sextortion, technical support, refund, advance fee, inheritance, lottery, etc. Deceptive messages are also utilized in malware distribution.
While the widely held belief that spam emails are riddled with errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. These letters can be competently put together and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, organizations, authorities, etc.).
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals often use spam campaigns to proliferate malware. Malicious files can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once such a file is opened – the infection process is triggered. Some formats require additional user interaction to begin downloading/installing malware. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click embedded files or links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages must be approached with caution. We advise against opening attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or virulent.
It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and harmless.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.
We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date is paramount to device and user safety. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. 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 "Email Delivery Notification Portal" spam email letter:
Subject: You have 7 Blocked Incoming Emails on your Email Account (********) Fix Now
EMAIL DELIVERY NOTIFICATION PORTAL
Dear : ********
Your Email Server has prevented the delivery of 7 new emails to your inbox
on 7/18/2024 2:54:02 p.m. because it identified these messages as unknown.
You can review these here and choose what happens to them
Review Message
© 2024 ******** All rights reserved. |Acceptable Use Policy | Privacy Notice
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Email Delivery Notification Portal" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Email Delivery Notification Portal" 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 details that they may include, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in massive operations – 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 log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. In case you've disclosed personally identifiable or finance-related 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?
Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked; reading an email poses no infection threat.
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 format of the opened file. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your device was compromised. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats may need additional actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded links/files, etc.) to initiate infection processes.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and remove all types of threats. Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. It is noteworthy that high-end malicious software usually hides deep within systems – therefore, performing a complete system scan is crucial for detection.
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