How to recognize scam emails like "Notification Summary"

What kind of email is "Notification Summary"?

After inspecting this "Notification Summary" email, we determined that it is spam. This message notifies the recipient about files sent to them. This spam campaign promotes a phishing website targeting email account log-in credentials.

"Notification Summary" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "ShareFile Activity Notification" (may vary) lists files sent to the recipient. Supposedly, the list comprises four files, including a document titled "INVOICED - DOCUMENT.pdf".

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

This campaign endorses a phishing site that requests the user to – "Please provide the following details to verify your account" – specifically, their email log-in credentials. Phishing webpages record entered information and send it to scammers.

Stole emails can be variously abused, including for blackmailing owners over sensitive data therein or attempting to hijack linked accounts, platforms, and services.

To expand upon this, scammers can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social media/networking, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious files or links.

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

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Notification Summary" can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Two-Factor Authentication Activation", "Bank Details", "Bank Of America - Payment Processed Successfully", "Mailbox Problem Identified", and "Update Your Domain Name System Security (DNSS)" are just some of our latest articles on phishing emails.

These messages primarily target log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information. However, other scams are facilitated through spam mail as well.

It is also utilized in malware distribution. Spam emails are often poorly written and riddled with errors, but they can be competently put together and convincingly disguised as messages from service providers, companies, organizations, authorities, and other real entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing malicious files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Malware download/installation is triggered once such a file is opened. Some formats may need additional user interaction to initiate infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., content/editing), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We recommend exercising 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.

It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise vigilance when browsing since the Internet is full of well-disguised fraudulent and dangerous content.

Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and verified sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal software activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.

It is paramount for device integrity and user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove 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 "Notification Summary" spam email letter:

Subject: ShareFile Activity Notification

Notification Summary

Below is your summary files for which you've chosen to download.

ATTACHMENT : 4 Download Document
INVOICED - DOCUMENT.pdf
Size 415.20 KB
Created 3/23/2025 1:04:04 a.m.
Received ********

Download 4 Items Now

Downloads
There is no download activity to report.

Views
There is no view activity to report.

Dates are displayed in UTC -5
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Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Notification Summary" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Notification Summary" 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. 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 password 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 user interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to initiate malware infiltration processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Note that running a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.