Avoid having your email account stolen via fake "Reserve Server" emails

What kind of email is "Reserve Server"?

Our examination of the "Reserve Server" email revealed that it is spam. This scam letter states that a message failed to reach the recipient's inbox due to a server error. Victims who trust these false claims are lured into visiting a phishing website that targets email account log-in credentials (passwords).

"Reserve Server" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Warning Incoming email has been blocked" (may vary) is presented as a notification. It alerts the recipient that an email failed to reach their inbox on the specified date. This issue occurred due to an error on the mail server. The message urges the recipient to use the provided link and activate/manage their RS (Reserve Server). The recipient is warned that the link will expire in 24 hours.

As mentioned in the introduction, the claims made by this letter are false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers.

When we pressed the "Activate and Manage RS" button, it opened a dead webpage. Spam mail of this ilk endorses phishing sites; typically, ones disguised as email account sign-in pages. Phishing websites record entered information and send it to scammers.

In potential future releases of this campaign, the emails are likely to redirect to functional sites. The risks for victims of such scams exceed the loss of an email. These accounts usually include private and possibly confidential information, which may be used for a variety of nefarious purposes, including blackmail.

Furthermore, cyber criminals might gain access to and control over the accounts, platforms, and services registered through the hijacked email.

To elaborate on the potential abuse, scammers can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, chats, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious links or files.

What is more, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, online banking, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and online purchases.

In summary, by trusting an email like "Reserve Server" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials to a phishing website or file – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Reserve Server" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	An email failed to reach the inbox due to a server 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

"Email Has Been Suspended Due To Policy Violations", "New Project Site", "Invoice Online Document Is Ready", and "Pending Emails On Server" are just a few of our latest articles on phishing emails.

These campaigns predominantly seek log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information. Other scams are promoted through spam mail as well, and it is used to spread malware.

Various false claims are used to gain recipients' trust, such as lures concerning undelivered messages, outdated passwords, security concerns, suspicious activity detections, renewed subscriptions, purchases, business offers, inheritances, and so forth.

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

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are commonly used to proliferate malware. Deceptive emails/messages can include infectious files as attachments or download links. These files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

When a malicious file is opened – the infection chain is jumpstarted. However, some formats require additional actions to initiate 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 advise vigilance with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or virulent.

However, malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and innocuous.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources. 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 stress that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated is paramount to device/user safety. Security software must be used to perform 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 "Reserve Server" spam email letter:

Subject: Warning Incoming email has been blocked

Hello.

Your mailbox will not be able to receive new email on or after 8/19/2024 11:09:15 a.m..
This is due to an error in your incoming mail server.

You're recommended to use the link below to
activate and manage your RS (Reserve Server)
to enable your mailbox receive and send emails.

Activate and Manage RS

This request will expire in 24 hours.
If you need further assistance,
please contact us and we will be in touch shortly.

© 2024 All rights reserved.
This email was intended for: *****

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Quick menu:

• What is "Reserve 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, even if they include details relevant to the recipients. These messages are sent out in mass-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 possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if the provided information was of a different personal nature (e.g., passport photos/scans, ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant 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; merely opening/reading an email is harmless.

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

Whether the system 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 triggering an infection if it was a document (.doc, .pdf, .xls, .one, etc.). These formats may require extra interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded links/files, etc.) to begin downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a full system scan is key since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.

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