Avoid having your account stolen via fake "Error In The Mail Service" emails

What kind of email is "Error In The Mail Service"?

After examining the "Error In The Mail Service" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter claims that the recipient's email account must be updated to avoid deactivation. This spam mail aims to deceive users into disclosing their email log-in credentials to a phishing website. Note that the theft of an email account carries significant risks.

"Error In The Mail Service" email scam overview

The scam message with the subject "Deactivation notice: please review" (may vary) states that the recipient's email account has encountered an error.

The letter advises to update the mail server to the latest version. Incoming messages may be affected due to an outdated server or general maintenance issues. The recipient is alerted that failing to update their account will result in its deactivation.

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

After the recipient presses the "Continue" button in the email, they are redirected to a phishing website. The site imitates a sign-in page adorned with the old logo of the Zoho Office Suite. Log-in credentials entered into this fraudulent webpage are recorded and sent to scammers.

Cyber criminals commonly target email accounts since they typically include sensitive information, which is doubly true for corporate emails. What is more, criminals may gain control over the accounts, platforms, and services registered through the stolen email.

The unauthorized access can be variously misused. For example, scammers can steal the identities of account owners (emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and spread malware.

Sensitive or confidential data discovered on compromised accounts/platforms can be used for a variety of nefarious deeds, including blackmail. Stolen finance-related accounts (online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Error In The Mail Service" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already disclosed your account credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Error In The Mail Service" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's email account has encountered an error and must be updated.
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 written about thousands of spam campaigns; "Webmail - Mail Basic", "Adobe Contract Agreement", and "Adobe Cloud Service" are just a couple of our newest articles on phishing emails.

Aside from log-in credentials, this mail primarily targets personally identifiable details and finance-related information. Various scams are facilitated via spam emails, and they are used to proliferate malware.

Due to how prevalent this mail is and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns spread malware by disturbing malicious files. They can be attached to or linked inside the deceptive emails/messages. These files can be archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once opened, a virulent file triggers the malware download/installation process. However, certain formats can require additional actions to initiate 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?

We strongly recommend approaching incoming emails and other messages with care. Attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious.

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

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

It is paramount to have 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. 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 "Error In The Mail Service" spam email letter:

Subject: Deactivation notice: please review

[ ******** ] Server Support

Your email ******** has encountered an error in the mail service. Therefore, you need to update the mail server to the latest version.

We recently received some notifications regarding your account: ******** ,
which could be due to general maintenance and updates affecting your incoming messages.

Please click the link below to log in, this will automatically reset you
.

Continue

Note: Please do not ignore this email to avoid your account being closed..

Thanks,

******** account team.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Error In The Mail Service" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Error In The Mail Service" 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, even if they include details relevant to the recipient. These message are distributed in large-scale operations – 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've provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant authorities.

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

Opening/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 your device was compromised might depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes. However, you might have avoided the infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.). These formats may need extra user interaction to begin malware download/installation (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. Remember that sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems – therefore, performing a full system scan is essential.

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