How to recognize phishing emails like "Updated Service Terms"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Updated Service Terms"?
After examining this "Updated Service Terms" email, we determined that it is spam. It alerts recipients of updated terms of service that were not accepted; thus, their email accounts will be deactivated. This message endorses a phishing site targeting email log-in credentials.
"Updated Service Terms" email scam overview
This spam email informs the recipient that the terms of service were updated yet not approved. Therefore, the email account will be deleted on the listed date. The recipient is urged to click the link below and sign in to access an upgraded mailbox and avoid being disconnected from the service.
It must be emphasized that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers.
The impression of legitimacy for the promoted phishing website was created using the cPanel logo. Information entered into this page is recorded and sent to scammers. Hence, by providing their email log-in credentials to the website – users expose their account.
Stolen emails can be variously misused, including to possibly gain access to the accounts, services, and platforms registered through them.
Scammers can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, etc.) and ask loans or donations from contacts/friends, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files.
Stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Updated Service Terms" can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support.
| Name | "Updated Service Terms" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient must agree to the updated service terms or risk losing their email account. |
| 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
We have investigated numerous email spam campaigns; "Quote That Meets Our Requirements", "Avoid Getting Locked Out", and "Capital One - Purchase Was Charged To Your Account" are just a couple of our latest articles on phishing emails.
Aside from phishing, spam mail is used to promote sextortion, tech support, lottery, inheritance, refund, and other scams. It is also utilized in malware distribution.
Due to how prevalent spam messages are and how well-crafted they can be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other mail.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware is commonly spread via spam campaigns. Deceptive emails/messages include infectious files as attachments or links. These files come in various formats, e.g., archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once such a file is opened – malware download/installation is jumpstarted. Some formats require additional actions to initiate infection chains. For example, Microsoft Office documents need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote files require them to click on embedded files or links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Caution is essential to device and user safety. Therefore, be careful with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages. We advise against opening attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail, as they can be malicious.
However, malware is proliferated using various methods. Therefore, we recommend being vigilant when browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.
Furthermore, all downloads must be performed from official and verified sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update software using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.
It is paramount 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 threats/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 "Updated Service Terms" spam email letter:
Subject: [CASE ID: #ZXW-gqqwqrwwet: Update Service Terms and Condtions on ******** To Avoid ******** being terminated
UPDATED SERVICE TERMS
Attention Esteemed Customer
We regret to inform you that ******** has not approved our new terms/conditions and will be deleted from ******** today 3/8/2025 3:36:24 a.m. including all data on ********
See below and log-in to get an upgraded mailbox to avoid being discontinued from our service an future offers.
UPDATE TERMS
******** Services.
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Updated Service Terms" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Updated Service Terms" 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 present in spam emails – they are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute these messages by the thousand with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.
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 exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you have provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, reading an email does not pose an infection threat. Devices 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 – most likely, yes – the system was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document. These formats may need additional interaction to begin downloading/installing malware (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.).
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to eliminate all kinds of threats. It can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. Note that running a full system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.
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