Avoid getting scammed by fake "You Have Crucial Mails Pending" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "You Have Crucial Mails Pending"?
After examining the "You Have Crucial Mails Pending" email, we determined that it is spam. It claims the recipient has several undelivered messages and urges them to upgrade their mailbox. This spam mail aims to steal recipients' email accounts through the promoted phishing website that targets their log-in credentials.
"You Have Crucial Mails Pending" email scam overview
This spam email states that six messages were undelivered due to the recipient using an outdated mailbox version. They are urged to switch to a new version to get the pending emails, gain 2.5 GB extra storage, and avoid further service interruptions.
It must be emphasized that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers.
When the "Switch To New Mail Version Now." button in the letter is pressed, it results in a redirect to a phishing website. The site imitates the recipient's email sign-in page. Phishing websites record information (like log-in credentials) provided to them.
Hence, by attempting to sign in through the site promoted by "You Have Crucial Mails Pending" – users expose their email accounts to scammers. Emails can be variously abused, including for blackmail purposes. Additionally, cyber criminals may be able to gain control over the accounts/platforms/services registered through a stolen email.
To elaborate on the potential abuse of the unauthorized access, scammers can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, chats, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files or links.
Hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.
In summary, victims of scam mail like "You Have Crucial Mails Pending" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have entered your log-in credentials into a phishing site – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "You Have Crucial Mails Pending" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Messages failed to reach the recipient due to their outdated mailbox version. |
| Related Domains | qeosys[.]nl |
| Detection Names (qeosys[.]nl) | CRDF (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Phishing), Seclookup (Malicious), Webroot (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (qeosys[.]nl) | 172.67.172.124 |
| 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
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Aside from log-in credentials, these letters commonly target personally identifiable information and finance-related data. However, other scams are facilitated through spam mail, and it is utilized in malware distribution.
Various lures are used to gain recipients' interest and trust, e.g., claims concerning undelivered messages, updates/upgrades, expired passwords, account issues, security concerns, payments/invoices, business offers, inheritances, lotteries, etc.
Due to how widespread spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend being vigilant with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals often use spam campaigns to proliferate malware. Spam emails/messages can include malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once an infectious file is opened – the malware download/installation chain is initiated. However, some formats need additional interaction to jumpstart infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click embedded files or links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly advise approaching incoming emails and other messages with care. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious.
However, it must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being cautious when browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and harmless.
Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.
We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to run 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 "You Have Crucial Mails Pending" spam email letter:
Subject: FINAL WARNING ******** ; We Are Closing All Old Versions Of ******** Mailbox >> Update Now To New Mail Version
You have (6) Crucial Mails Pending
User: ********
Domain: ********
You are using the old and outdated version of ******** mailbox,
To avoid loss of files in the near future, kindly use the button below and switch to the new mail version, with extra 2.5GB storage, for top speed and convenient ,
Note ; All pending mails will be delivered to your inbox, as you switch to the new mail version,
Switch To New Mail Version Now.
Sincerely,
Storage Mail Help Desk.
Web Admin (C) 2024
Email encryption powered by ********.
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "You Have Crucial Mails Pending" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "You Have Crucial Mails Pending" 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 regardless of any relevant information that they include. This mail is sent out in massive operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar messages.
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 potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, 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?
Merely 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?
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 require additional 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 can detect and remove almost all known malware infections. Note that high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems – therefore, running a full system scan is essential.
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