Do not trust fake "Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server" emails

What kind of email is "Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server"?

After inspecting the "Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter falsely claims that a message has been blocked from reaching the inbox. The purpose of this spam mail is to deceive recipients into disclosing their email account log-in credentials to a phishing website.

"Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Validation error notice" (may vary) is presented as a notification from the recipient's email administrator. Claims are made that a message was blocked due to a validation error. Details of the undelivered email are provided, most notably the subject line – "Re: Purchase Order".

The recipient is lured by this nonexistent purchase-related message into visiting the linked webpage. Supposedly, the email can be viewed by managing the "personal junk email blocking settings" through the website.

It must be reiterated that the information in the spam letter is false, and emphasized that this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers or other entities.

At the time of research, the site endorsed by this campaign was down. However, this issue could be fixed in potential future releases of this spam mail. This scam message makes it evident that the promoted website was a phishing page targeting email account log-in credentials.

Stealing emails is a prevalent malicious activity, as these accounts can be variously abused, e.g., for spam purposes, blackmail attempts over confidential data, malware proliferation, gaining access to linked platforms/services, etc.

To elaborate upon how the accounts registered through a compromised email can be used (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.), scammers can steal owners' identities and ask contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and spread malicious software by sharing infectious files or links.

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

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing website/file – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Email failed to reach the inbox due to a validation error.
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 examined countless spam campaigns; "Official Notification: Performance Evaluation Access", "SWIFT - Outward Wire Transfer Confirmation", "Irrevocable Payment Order", "Google Drive email scam", and "Phone Number Was Added To Your Account" are merely some of our newest articles on phishing emails.

Various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is used to distribute malware. Recipients' trust is gained through a variety of false claims, such as ones relating to undelivered messages, password expiration, suspicious activity detections, account issues, service renewals, purchases, business offers, inheritances, lotteries, and so on.

While spam letters are often poorly put together and full of spelling errors, they can be competently made and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, etc.).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing virulent files as attachments or download links. These files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

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

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend vigilance with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise being careful while browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears genuine and harmless.

Furthermore, all downloads must be made from official and verified channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.

It is paramount for device integrity and user safety to have a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove 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 "Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server" spam email letter:

Subject: Validation error notice

The following messages have been blocked by your ******** Server,
Due to validation error.

Action From Subject Threat
Pending Messages andras@rk-chem.com Re: Purchase Order Blocked

To manage your personal junk email blocking settings, use your standard username and password to login here:

hxxps://retrieve/********/messages

Thanks,
Email Administrator

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ 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 "Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server" 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 relevant details that they may include. This mail is sent out in massive operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical (or 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 without delay. And if you've disclosed other private data (e.g., passport photos/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?

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?

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

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan devices and remove all kinds of threats. It can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that running a full system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.

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