How to identify scams like "POP/IMAP Settings Blocking Incoming Mail"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of scam is "POP/IMAP Settings Blocking Incoming Mail"?
Our examination revealed that this email masquerades as a notification regarding a mailbox error from an email service provider. It is created to lure recipients into opening a fake website and revealing personal information. Users should avoid responding to such emails or opening links (or files) in them.
More about the "POP/IMAP Settings Blocking Incoming Mail" scam email
This phishing email claims that an issue with the recipient's POP/IMAP settings is blocking some incoming emails. It urges the recipient to verify their email to fix the problem, stating that the process will only take a few seconds. The email includes a link to verify the account and assures the recipient that once verification is complete, the blocked messages will be released to their inbox.
During our examination, the provided link ("Verify Your Account") led to a site that was down. However, it was likely intended to direct users to a phishing page designed to steal email account login credentials, such as email addresses and passwords. Scammers can use such information for various purposes.
They can access an email account and look for personal information (e.g., financial information or personal documents), send phishing (or other fraudulent) emails to the victim's contacts, or send malware to other addresses. Also, scammers can sell stolen login credentials on the dark web to other cybercriminals.
Additionally, many people reuse the same login credentials across multiple platforms. Scammers may use the stolen email login to attempt to access bank accounts, social media, online shopping sites, or other platforms, and cause even more damage. Thus, it is important to be careful when receiving suspicious emails.
| Name | POP/IMAP Settings Blocking Incoming Mail Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Related Domain | parliamentry[.]es |
| Detection Names (parliamentry[.]es) | alphaMountain.ai (Phishing), Combo Cleaner (Malware), ESET (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), Sophos (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Fake Claim | An issue with the recipient's POP/IMAP settings is blocking incoming emails |
| Disguise | Letter from an email service provider |
| Symptoms | Generic greeting, urgent language, suspicious links, grammatical errors. |
| 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
Phishing emails are deceptive messages designed to trick recipients into revealing personal information. Usually, these emails seem like urgent, important notifications or other messages from legitimate companies, organizations, or other entities. By staying vigilant and verifying the legitimacy of emails, users can protect themselves from falling victim to these scams.
Deceptive emails can also be used to trick recipients into executing malware on their computers. Here are some examples of fraudulent emails: "American Express - Unrecognized Transaction", "Secure Your Trust Wallet Account", and "Zoho - Review Your Outgoing Emails".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware usually infects systems when users open malicious attachments, such as PDFs, Office documents, compressed files, scripts, or executable files. When recipients open these files or take additional actions (e.g., enable macros in infected documents), the malware can enter the system.
Additionally, fraudulent emails can contain malicious links that direct users to harmful websites. On these sites, malware can be downloaded automatically, or users may be deceived into downloading and running harmful software themselves. In either case, the malware relies on the user taking specific actions to become active.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Avoid opening links and attachments in emails from unfamiliar or suspicious addresses. Always carefully review emails before taking action (opening links or files). Only download software and files from trusted sources, such as official websites or app stores, and avoid using other sources like P2P networks or untrustworthy sites.
Also, avoid clicking on pop-ups, ads, or links on questionable websites. Keep your operating system and software up to date, and use a trusted security tool to stay protected. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "POP/IMAP Settings Blocking Incoming Mail" email letter:
Subject: Mailbox Error
An error in your POP/IMAP Settings is blocking some of your incoming mails in this Mailbox.
You can fix this by verifying your email ******** . This will only take few seconds
Verify Your Account
Once the verification is complete, message(s) will be released to your inbox
Thanks,
Account Security. © 2025 ********
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Quick menu:
- What is POP/IMAP Settings Blocking Incoming Mail phishing scam?
- 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?
Scammers send out mass emails with the same generic message to thousands of people, hoping that a few will fall for the scam and respond. These emails are rarely tailored to individual recipients.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If scammers have stolen your email account login credentials, immediately change your password and enable two-factor authentication. Check your account for suspicious activity, contact your email provider for further assistance, and consider reporting the incident.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
The chance of malware infiltration varies based on the file type. For instance, malicious executable files can infect a computer as soon as they arere opened, while MS Office documents typically do not activate malware unless macros are turned on.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Simply opening an email is usually safe, but clicking links or opening attachments can expose recipients to malware infections or redirect them to dangerous websites.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware. However, advanced threats may hide deep within the system, so running a full system scan is crucial to ensure all threats are found and eliminated.
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