Do not trust fake "Removal Request Approved And Initiated" emails

What kind of email is "Removal Request Approved And Initiated"?

"Removal Request Approved And Initiated" is a phishing email targeting account log-in credentials. This message falsely alerts the recipient that a request to remove their email account has been received. By attempting to cancel the fake request, users are ticked into disclosing their account log-in credentials (passwords).

"Removal Request Approved And Initiated" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Did you request account removal?" (may vary) states that the account removal request has been approved and will be initiated automatically. The recipient can confirm or cancel this request; both necessitate a single password confirmation.

It must be emphasized that the information in this message is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers.

"Removal Request Approved And Initiated" promotes a phishing site disguised as an email sign-in page adorned with the old Zoho Office Suite logo. By trying to sign in through this webpage, users reveal their log-in credentials to scammers.

Emails are highly prized, as they tend to include incredibly sensitive information and may open a gateway for stealing the accounts, platforms, and services registered through them.

To expand upon how the unauthorized access might be abused, cyber criminals can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links/files.

What is more, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, digital wallets, money transferring, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

In summary, victims of scam mail like "Removal Request Approved And Initiated" can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already entered your log-in into a phishing site – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Removal Request Approved And Initiated" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Request to remove the email account was approved and initiated.
Related Domains	secure.memorys[.]click
Detection Names (secure.memorys[.]click)	Trustwave (Phishing), Abusix (Spam), Fortinet (Spam), Sophos (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (secure.memorys[.]click)	172.67.205.182
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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Phishing spam campaign examples

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In addition to log-in credentials, this mail commonly targets personally identifiable information and finance-related data. However, other scams are promoted through these emails as well, and they are used to proliferate malware.

While the widely held belief that spam emails are poorly written and full of grammatical/spelling mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently crafted and even convincingly disguised as messages from genuine entities (e.g., companies, service providers, institutions, authorities, etc.).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is often spread via spam campaigns. Deceptive emails/messages can have infectious files attached to or linked inside them. These files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

When a virulent file is opened – the infection chain is initiated. However, some formats need additional user interaction to trigger malware download/installation processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious.

However, malware is proliferated using various methods. Therefore, we recommend vigilance when browsing since the Internet is rife with deceptive and dangerous content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy channels. Software must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.

It is paramount for device/user safety to have a reputable 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 "Removal Request Approved And Initiated" spam email letter:

Subject: Did you request account removal?

Hello ********,

An automated removal request has been approved and initiated.

Continue Removal
Cancel Removal

one time password confirmation is required for either IGNORE or CANCEL the request.

Thanks,

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Removal Request Approved And Initiated" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Removal Request Approved And Initiated" 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 details that spam emails may include, they are not personal. This mail is sent out in mass-scale 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 disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. However, if the provided information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding 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; systems 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?

If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats can require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to initiate malware download/installation.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate almost all known malware infections. Note that performing a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.

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