How to identify scams like "Email Credentials Protection"

What kind of scam is "Email Credentials Protection"?

We have reviewed the email and found that it is a fake notification supposedly sent from the recipient's email service provider. It is designed to deceive the recipient into opening a fraudulent website and entering personal information. Such emails should be ignored to avoid the associated risks.

More about the "Email Credentials Protection" scam email

The fraudulent email impersonates an IT security team and falsely claims that the recipient's sign-in credentials are set to expire on a specific date. It urges the recipient to click a button to retain access, warning that failure to do so may result in mailbox restrictions. Additionally, it includes a deceptive note about inactive accounts being subject to deactivation.

The goal of this email is to lure the recipient into clicking the provided button/link designed to open a fake Gmail login website and entering their email account login credentials. Scammers can misuse these details in several ways. They can access sensitive information, including personal and financial data, stored in emails.

By impersonating the victim, cybercriminals may send phishing emails to contacts, spread malware, or trick others into sharing confidential details. Additionally, they can reset passwords for linked accounts, such as banking or social media. Stolen email accounts can also be sold on the dark web, where cybercriminals use them for identity theft, fraud, and spam campaigns.

Therefore, it is important to be careful with shady emails containing links or files and (or) requesting personal information.

Similar scam emails in general

If trusted, fraudulent emails designed to steal login credentials can lead to various issues, including monetary loss, identity theft, and account takeover. Recipients should avoid clicking links or providing personal information in response to such messages. Sometimes, links or files in such emails can lead to computer infections.

Some examples of fraudulent emails are "Server (IMAP) Session Authentication", "Internet Fraudsters Arrested", and "Chase - Transfer Is Processing And Will Be Deducted".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors can use email as a tool to trick users into infecting devices by delivering harmful attachments or links. Some file types, such as executables, launch malware immediately when opened, while others, like Office documents, require users to enable macros for infection to occur.

Additional file formats commonly used for malware delivery include PDFs, archives, scripts, and ISO images. Malicious links in emails can lead to automatic downloads or direct users to fake websites designed to deceive them into running malware. However, infections can only occur if the recipient interacts with these attachments or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Caution is essential when dealing with unsolicited or irrelevant emails, particularly those from unknown senders that include links or attachments, as they may contain hidden threats. Declining notification requests from untrustworthy websites, keeping the operating system and applications up to date, and avoiding interactions with ads, pop-ups, or buttons on suspicious sites also help reduce security risks.

Regular scans with a reliable security tool and downloading software only from official sources, such as app stores or verified websites, further enhance protection. 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 "Email Credentials Protection" email letter:

Subject: Important Notice: Update Your Credentials Now

[********] Email Protection

Hello ********,

Your sign-in credentials for ******** are set to expire on 03/28/2025.

To keep your current credentials, please click the button below:
Keep Current Credentials

If you do not update your credentials, access to your mailbox may be restricted.

[********] IT Security Team

Note: Inactive accounts may be subject to deactivation .

Phishing website used in this scam:

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Email Credentials Protection 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?

Scammers typically distribute identical emails to a number of addresses, making them generic and impersonal. These messages often lack specific details, such as the recipient's name or other identifying information.

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

If login credentials have been shared with scammers, passwords should be changed immediately.

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

If the file is an executable, the system is likely compromised. However, if it is document such as a PDF or Word file, a computer may be safe, as these formats do not always activate malware upon opening.

I have read the email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Opening an email itself is usually safe, but clicking on links or opening attachments in suspicious messages can trigger malware infections.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known threats. However, since advanced malware may conceal itself deep within the system, performing a full system scan is recommended to ensure all threats are identified and eliminated.