Avoid losing your account via fake "Important Notice" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Important Notice"?
"Important Notice" is a spam email claiming that the recipient's account requires verification; otherwise, interruptions will occur with the mail service. This fake email endorses a phishing website that targets account log-in credentials (passwords).
"Important Notice" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "[TicketID: TRQ-892056]: You have services awaiting verification for [recipient's_email_address] Mailbox" is presented as an important notification. The message states that mandatory verification must be completed due to a server update. If the account is not verified within 48 hours, it will be unable to receive and send emails.
As mentioned in the introduction, the information in "Important Notice" is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or other entities.
The phishing site endorsed by this campaign imitates the recipient's email account sign-in page. Attempts to sign in through this site expose the account to scammers.
Emails are of particular interest to cyber criminals; not only can they contain incredibly sensitive information, but they may also open an avenue for stealing the content registered through them.
To expand upon how the unauthorized access can be abused, scammers can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links/files.
What is more, hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Important Notice" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.
| Name | "Important Notice" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Email account will become unable to send/receive emails unless it is verified. |
| Related Domains | webupdate.kingphars[.]com |
| Detection Names | Seclookup (Malicious), Trustwave (Phishing), Abusix (Spam), CyRadar (Spam), Sophos (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address | 154.216.17.46 |
| 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
"Security Turned Off", "IRREVOCABLE PAYMENT ORDER", "Review This File Below", "Luciano Pavarotti Testament", and "OneDrive - A Secured File Has Been Shared" are merely some of our latest articles on phishing campaigns.
Various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is used to proliferate malware. Lures of all kinds are utilized to gain recipients' attention or trust, e.g., concerning account issues, service interruptions, outdated passwords, expired/renewed subscriptions, invoices, business offers, lotteries, inheritances, and so forth.
Due to how widespread spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to distribute malware. Deceptive emails/messages can include infectious files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once such a file is opened – the malware download/installation chain is jumpstarted. However, some formats require additional interaction 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 files or links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is important to always approach incoming emails and other messages with caution. We advise against opening attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be malicious.
It must be mentioned that malware is not spread 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 trustworthy channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.
We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated is crucial to device and user safety. Security software must be used to run 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 "Important Notice" spam email letter:
Subject: [TicketID: TRQ-892056]: You have services awaiting verification for ******** Mailbox
My Account
Important Notice on ********
Attention
Due to an update on server ******** will stop sending and receiving emails within 48hrs if not verified, to keep and update mailbox kindly verify now.
Verify ******** Now
IMPORTANT: Unfortunately, if you dont do this services will be defferred and ******** will become inactive.
Email(s) Due for Verification on 9/2/2024 5:36:38 a.m.
Name Verification Satus Domain
******** Pending ********
NOTE: This is an automatic message from sytem Do not reply this email.
WHY US
MY ACCOUNT
HOW TO RENEW
About Us | Support | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Account Login
Copyright © 2024 icci.com.pk
This informational email was sent to ********
This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by
E.F.A. Project , and is believed to be clean.
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Important Notice" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Important Notice" 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 information relevant to the recipients. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in massive operations with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.
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 potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. And if you've provided other private information (e.g., passport scans/photos, ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact the corresponding authorities without delay.
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 reading an email is harmless.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the device was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may need extra actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to begin downloading/installing malware.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and eliminate all manner of threats. It can detect and remove most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.
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