How to recognize fake emails like "Reconfirm Account Ownership"

What kind of email is "Reconfirm Account Ownership"?

Upon inspecting the "Reconfirm Account Ownership" email, we determined that it is spam. This message urges the recipient to re-verify their account, thus luring them into disclosing their email log-in credentials to a phishing website.

"Reconfirm Account Ownership" email scam overview

This spam email states that the recipient must reconfirm their account ownership to prevent its expiration. This process must be carried out because of a domain update. It must be emphasized that the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers.

At the time of research, the website promoted by this message was down. Note that this could be fixed in potential future releases of this spam campaign (i.e., emails will redirect to a functional webpage). It is most probable that this message endorsed a phishing site disguised as an email account sign-in page.

Log-in credentials entered into such websites are recorded and sent to scammers. Hijacked emails can be variously abused – any sensitive data found therein could be used for blackmail, and cyber criminals might try to access linked accounts, platforms, and services.

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

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 and online purchases.

In summary, victims of scam emails like "Reconfirm Account Ownership" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already disclosed your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Standard Bank - VAT Increase", "Unclaimed Prize", "DocuSign - Signature Requested", "IMAP/POP3 Mail Delivery Incomplete", and "Sign-in From Unauthorized Geolocation" are mainly some of our newest articles on phishing emails.

These messages primarily target various log-in credentials, personally identifiable information, and finance-related data. However, spam mail promotes a wide variety of scams and is used to proliferate all kinds of malware.

Due to how prevalent this mail is and how well-crafted it can be – we strongly recommend exercising caution within incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is commonly proliferated via spam campaigns. Deceptive emails/messages include malicious files as attachments or download 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 forth.

Once an infectious file is opened – the malware download/installation chain is triggered. However, some formats need additional user interaction to initiate infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Incoming emails and other messages must be approached with care. We advise against opening attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or virulent.

It must be mentioned that malware is spread using various methods. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and dangerous content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal product activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.

We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. This software must be used to perform 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 "Reconfirm Account Ownership" spam email letter:

Subject: Confirm Your ******** : account ownership 4/10/2025 8:33:28 p.m....

******** Verification
Account expires on 12th April 2025

Hi ********

Please reconfirm account ownership below due to doman update!

Download and reconfirm ******** Password

******** IT Team 2025

Message securely sent to ******** lplease ignore if wrongly received.

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Quick menu:

• What is "Reconfirm Account Ownership" 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 these messages may include, they are not personal. Spam emails are sent out in large-scale campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) ones.

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

If you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

Reading an email does not pose an infection threat; systems 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?

Whether the device was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. Executables cause infections almost without fail (upon being opened). However, some formats – like documents – may need additional interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to begin infiltrating malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and eliminate all kinds of threats. It is capable of detecting and removing almost all known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a full system scan is essential since high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.