How to identify scams like "Outlook Password Has Expired Email Scam"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "Outlook Password Has Expired"?
Our team has examined this email and concluded that it is a fake password expiration notice from Outlook. The purpose of this scam email is to extract personal information from recipients via a deceptive web page. Recipients should scrutinize suspicious emails like this one to avoid possible consequences.
More about the "Outlook Password Has Expired" scam email
This fraudulent email (with the subject line "Final warning: Password Expired Notice") claims that the recipient's Outlook Web App password has expired and the account will be deactivated if action is not taken. The email includes a "Click Here" link, which is designed to open a fake Outlook sign-in page and trick recipients into providing their login credentials (email address and password).
When scammers steal login credentials, they typically use them to access to various accounts, such as email, bank accounts, or social media profiles. They may exploit these accounts to commit identity theft, gather personal information for further scams, or send phishing emails (or malware) to the victim’s contacts.
Additionally, they can sell stolen credentials on the dark web to other criminals. Usually, when recipients fall for such scams, they cannot access their accounts, become victims of identity theft, lose money, or encounter other issues. Thus, it is important to be cautious with unexpected emails requesting personal information and (or) containing links or files.
| Name | Outlook Password Has Expired Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's Outlook account password has expired |
| Related Domain | wilburelis[.]com |
| Detection Names (wilburelis[.]com) | Bfore.Ai PreCrime (Suspicious), Fortinet (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Disguise | Final notice from Outlook |
| 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
These deceptive messages are crafted by scammers who seek to trick recipients into disclosing sensitive information, such as login credentials, financial details, or other information. They often seem to be from legitimate sources and contain urgent or enticing text. These emails may also contain malicious links or attachments that lead to fake sites or pages hosting malware.
Some examples of fraudulent emails used to steal information are "OpenSea Mystery Boxes", "We Cannot Process Payment", and "IMAP/POP3 TIME-OUT".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Threat actors often distribute malware via email by including malicious files as attachments or links. Their aim is to deceive recipients into performing actions that lead to malware being executed. These attachments can include various types of files, such as MS Office documents, executable programs, JavaScript files, ISO images, and archives.
Malicious executables can infect computers as soon as they are opened. Other types of files usually need further user interaction to activate the malware. For example, MS Office documents containing malware will not infect computers until users enable macros.
Links in phishing emails may direct users to deceptive websites that prompt them to download malware or automatically trigger malicious downloads.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Do not open links or attachments from emails that seem unexpected or irrelevant, particularly if they come from unknown sources. Only download software from official websites or reputable app stores. Avoid installing pirated software or using potentially malicious tools, such as key generators or cracking tools.
Be cautious of pop-ups, ads, and buttons on dubious websites. Ensure your operating system and applications are always up to date. Regularly run scans with a reliable security tool to keep your computer protected. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Outlook Password Has Expired" email letter:
Subject: Final warning: Password Expired Notice
Outlook Web App
Password has Expired
To prevent deactivation of - and keep your passoword
Click Here
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Fake Outlook sign-in page used in this scam:
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Quick menu:
- What is Outlook Password Has Expired 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?
Phishing emails are typically generic and not personalized. They are sent to a large number of addresses, with scammers using the same message for everyone.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
Immediately change your passwords for the compromised accounts and monitor your accounts for any unusual activity. If you cannot access your accounts, inform service providers about the breach.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to this email, is my computer infected?
An executable file likely resulted in an infection. However, if the file was a document (such as .pdf or .doc), you may have evaded malware, as just opening these documents does not always lead to an infection.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, simply opening an email is safe. However, clicking on links or opening attachments within the email can lead to system infections.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing nearly all known pieces malware. Since advanced malware can hide deeply within the system, conducting a full scan is necessary.
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