Avoid losing your account through fake "Mailbox Abuse Notice" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What kind of email is "Mailbox Abuse Notice"?
Our examination of the "Mailbox Abuse Notice" email revealed that it is spam. This phishing message is presented as an email security alert claiming that suspicious activity has been detected on the recipient's account. This spam mail aims to trick victims into disclosing their email log-in credentials (passwords).
"Mailbox Abuse Notice" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "Unusual Activity Detected in Your Email Account" (may vary) is presented as a "Mailbox Abuse Notice". The letter states that a security policy violation has been detected – the email account was signed into from an unrecognized device.
The recipient is instructed to immediately review this information (check out account activity logs for anything suspicious) and verify their email status to avoid account compromise.
It must be stressed that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers.
When the "Review recent activity" button is pressed, it results in a redirect to a phishing site that imitates the recipient's email sign-in page. Log-in credentials entered into this webpage are recorded and sent to scammers. Stolen emails can be variously abused, including for blackmail purposes or possibly to hijack the accounts, platforms, and services registered through them.
Cyber criminals can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.
Finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, digital wallets, money transferring, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
In summary, by trusting an email like "Mailbox Abuse Notice" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support.
| Name | "Mailbox Abuse Notice" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Suspicious activity has been detected on the recipient's email account. |
| Related Domains | sercurerestserverresolve.on-fleek[.]app |
| Detection Names | Combo Cleaner (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), Emsisoft (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Trustwave (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address | 104.26.12.141 |
| 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
"Smartcolor Password Expiry", "Email Resource Alert Triggered", "VOIP Call Messaging Service", "Your Caller Left A Audio Message", and "Maintenance Protection" are merely some of our newest articles on spam campaigns.
These emails predominantly target various log-in credentials, personally identifiable information, and finance-related data. However, other scams are promoted through spam mail. It is also used to distribute malware.
False claims like suspicious activity detections, account issues, expired passwords, subscription expiration/renewal, blackmail attempts, invoices/purchases, inheritances, lotteries, and countless other lures are used to gain recipients' interest and trust.
Due to how widespread spam mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and different types of messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing virulent files. They can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. Malicious files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Merely opening such a file can be enough to trigger the infection chain. 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/files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly advise vigilance with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious.
It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since the Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content.
Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and trustworthy sources. Software must be activated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal product activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.
It is essential to device/user safety to have a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to perform 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 "Mailbox Abuse Notice" spam email letter:
Subject: Unusual Activity Detected in Your Email Account
Mailbox Abuse Notice
Security Alert - ********,
We have detected suspicious behavior in your email account that violates our security policy (Email account logged In from an unrecognized device) . You must log in to your account to review this information and verify the status of your mailbox immediately.
Review recent activity
Take these timeouts to protect your account:
- Click the above immediately in order to log into your email account.
- Go through recently carried out activities and look for anything suspicious
Any action taken in this regard will prevent your email account from being compromised.
Best Regards,
Email Service Provider
Domain Name: ********
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Mailbox Abuse Notice" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Mailbox Abuse 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 details relevant to the recipients. This mail is distributed in massive 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 provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans, credit 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?
Reading an email is harmless; systems are compromised when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
File formats can influence infection success rates. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) – might require additional actions to jumpstart malware download/installation. Hence, the infection may only be triggered after macro commands are enabled, embedded content is clicked, or other actions are performed.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and remove all manner of threats. It can detect and eliminate practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a full system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.
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