How to recognize scams like "Two-Factor Authentication Activation"

What kind of scam is the fake "Two-Factor Authentication Activation" email?

We have examined the email and found that it is a phishing email designed to trick visitors into disclosing personal information on a fake web page. It is disguised as a "last reminder" regarding Two-factor authentication (2FA) from MetaMask. Whoever receives this email should ignore it to avoid potential risks.

More about the "Two-Factor Authentication Activation" scam email

This phishing email claims that suspicious activity has been detected on the recipient's MetaMask wallet account and urges them to take immediate action. It instructs the recipient to activate Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) by clicking a provided button/link ("Activate 2FA Now").

Clicking the link directs users to a fraudulent MetaMask website designed to harvest secret recovery phrases. The site falsely claims to assist with wallet restoration, tricking users into entering their phrases. Once stolen, attackers can fully access the victim's MetaMask wallet, enabling them to transfer funds, steal assets, and seize control of the account.

Falling for this scam can result in significant monetary loss and possibly other issues. Users should be careful when receiving suspicious emails like this one and always verify the legitimacy of urgent, important emails before taking action.

Similar scam emails in general

It is common for deceptive emails to be disguised as official, urgent, important notifications or other letters and used to steal sensitive information (e.g., login credentials or credit card details). These messages oftem pressure users to act quickly. This can result in stolen accounts, financial fraud, or identity theft.

Some examples of scam emails are "Business Proposal Meeting", "Bank Details", and "Invitation To Supply Products". Sometimes, fraudulent emails can be used to trick recipients into executing malware on their devices.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals try to trick users into infecting computers via email by luring them into opening malicious attachments or links. Some files, like executables, can inject malware immediately after they are opened, while others, such as Office documents, require users to enable macros before the infection begins.

Malicious links in emails can either trigger automatic downloads or direct users to fake websites designed to convince them to launch malware themselves. These attacks often rely on files like PDFs, archives, script files, ISO images, executables, and MS Office documents.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Do not interact with unsolicited or irrelevant emails from unknown senders, particularly if they contain links or attachments. Avoid clicking on ads, pop-ups, or buttons on untrustworthy sites, and only download software from reputable sources. Deny notification requests from questionable websites and keep your operating system and applications up to date.

Also, perform regular scans with a trusted security tool. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Appearance of the fake MetaMask website used in this scam (GIF):

Text presented in the "Two-Factor Authentication Activation" email letter:

Subject: Last Reminder: Urgent Two-Factor Authentication Activation

Urgent Two-Factor Authentication Activation

Your wallet account is at risk! We've detected suspicious activity on your account.

To secure your account immediately, please activate Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) by clicking the button below:

Activate 2FA Now

If you need any assistance or have questions, please contact our support team immediately.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

© 2025 MеtaMаsk. All rights reserved. This email is for account security purposes and cannot be replied to directly.

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Quick menu:

• What is Two-Factor Authentication Activation 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 a scam email?

Scammers often send identical emails to numerous recipients. These messages tend to be vague and impersonal (without names or specific details).

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this scam email, what should I do?

If you have shared your MetaMask or other account login details, immediately change your passwords/seed phrases. Contact the appropriate authorities if you have revealed other personal information, such as credit card numbers or ID details.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

If the file was an executable, your system has probably been compromised. However, if it was a document (like a .pdf, .doc, or similar), you may have avoided infection, as simply opening these files does not always lead to malware infiltration.

I have read an email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Opening an email itself is safe, but clicking on links or opening attachments in fraudulent emails can result in system infections.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner can identify and remove most known malware. However, advanced malware may hide deep within the system, so it is recommended to perform a full system scan to ensure malware of this kind is detected and eliminated.