Avoid getting scammed by fake "Account Validation" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Account Validation"?
After inspecting this "Account Validation" email, we determined that it is spam. This message claims the recipient risks having their email account permanently disabled unless it is verified. The purpose of this mail is to deceive recipients into disclosing their log-in credentials to a phishing website.
"Account Validation" email scam overview
The scam email with the subject "Account Re-validate(final warning)!" (may vary) states that the recipient's account will be blocked due to detected spam-related activities. Unless the account is re-verified, it will be permanently disabled after 24 hours.
It must be emphasized that the claims made by this spam letter are false, and this mail is in no way associated with any genuine service providers.
The recipient is urged to press the "CLICK TO VERIFY NOW! " button to save their account. Clicking this button results in a redirect to a phishing website disguised as an email sign-in page. Log-in credentials entered into this site are recorded and sent to scammers, thereby enabling them to steal the corresponding account.
Emails are of particular interest to cyber criminals, as they typically contain highly sensitive information and may open a gateway for hijacking the accounts, platforms, and services registered through them.
To expand upon the potential abuse, scammers can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware.
Stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, by trusting an email like "Account Validation" – users can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have entered your account credentials into a phishing website – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support.
| Name | "Account Validation" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's account will be blocked due to spam activities. |
| Related Domains | venturasteels[.]com |
| Detection Names (venturasteels[.]com) | Cluster25 (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), Kaspersky (Phishing), Seclookup (Malicious), SOCRadar (Phishing), VIPRE (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (venturasteels[.]com) | 208.91.198.96 |
| 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
"Capital One Bank Account Activity", "AMERICAN EXPRESS card has been temporarily flagged", "You Have Received A File", "Roundcube - Unusual Login Attempt", and "Office Server" are just some of our newest articles on phishing emails.
In addition to log-in credentials, these messages commonly seek personally identifiable information and finance-related data. However, various scams are endorsed through spam mail, and it is used to spread malware.
While the widely held belief that these emails are poorly written and full of grammatical/spelling errors is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently put together and even believably imitate messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, etc.).
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware is commonly proliferated via spam campaigns. These emails/messages can include virulent files as attachments or download links. Infectious files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Merely opening a virulent file can be enough to initiate malware download/installation. However, some formats require additional user interaction to trigger 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 links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is essential to approach incoming emails and other messages with caution. We advise against opening attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail.
It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since the Internet is rife with well-disguised fraudulent and dangerous content.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.
It is paramount for device/user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. 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 "Account Validation" spam email letter:
Subject: Account Re-validate(final warning)!
ACCOUNT VALIDATION
Your account was detected spam activities and will be fully blocked.
If no action is taking from your side we will be force to continue the process of blocking your account.
If you would like to continue using your e-mail account.
CLICK TO VERIFY NOW!
Note : Your ******** Account will be disable permanently in 24hrs if not re-verified.
We apologize for any inconvenience
Copyright © 2024
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Account Validation" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Account Validation" 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?
Regardless of any relevant information that spam emails may include, they are not personal. These messages are sent out in large-scale campaigns – hence, 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 – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, reading an email poses no infection threat. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether the system was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. Once executed, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) – may need additional actions to initiate malware download/installation, such as enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. It must be emphasized that performing a full system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.
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