How to spot fake emails like "Invoice Attachments On Hold"

What kind of scam is "Invoice Attachments On Hold"?

Our inspection of the email has shown that it is a fake notification from an email service provider. It includes a link to a deceptive web page designed to steal personal information. Emails of this type are classified as phishing emails. They should be ignored to avoid the associated risks.

More about the "Invoice Attachments On Hold" scam email

This phishing email claims that due to recent server maintenance, the recipient has two incoming invoice attachment emails that are currently on hold. It instructs the recipient to validate their account by clicking a link ("Click Here") to retrieve the emails. Clicking this link leads to a phishing website.

This website instructs visitors to enter their email address and password to sign in. The entered information is sent to scammers. Fraudsters can use the entered details (email account login credentials) to access email accounts and steal more information. They can harvest personal details from the victim's emails.

Also, scammers may send phishing emails to other addresses or distribute malware using the stolen accounts. Additionally, they can try to access social media, banking, gaming, and other accounts using the victim's email account login credentials or sell the harvested details to third parties.

Therefore, it is important to examine emails before disclosing personal information or clicking links (or opening attachments) to avoid the potential negative consequences.

Similar scam emails in general

In conclusion, such emails are phishing attempts designed to steal personal information (e.g., login credentials, credit card details, ID card information, etc). They often contain "urgent" requests or "important" notifications to deceive recipients into clicking the provided links. It is important to ignore and delete them without interacting.

Sometimes, such emails can lead to computer infections. Here are examples of phishing emails: "Service Update Notification", "Mailbox Failed To Sync", and "Quote For Delivery Price And Time".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

It is common for threat actors to use emails to trick users into infecting their devices. They attach malicious files, like executables (e.g., .exe files), archives (e.g., ZIP or RAR), PDF or MS Office documents, script files, or other files that deploy malware when opened or additional actions are taken.

Sometimes, cybercriminals include links that lead to harmful websites that secretly download malware or trick users into running it manually. Malware attacks succeed if users interact with the content of fraudulent emails.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Always be cautious with emails, especially if they are irrelevant or unexpected and come from unfamiliar senders. Avoid opening links or attachments in such emails. Also, download software only from official websites or trusted app stores, and keep your system and apps up to date.

While browsing, avoid clicking on ads, pop-ups, or suspicious links, and block notification requests from shady websites. It is also highly advisable to use a reliable antivirus program and scan your system regularly. 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 "Invoice Attachments On Hold" email letter:

Subject: You Have 2 (Two) incoming Invoice Attachment Emails are on hold.

Due to recent Maintenance on our servers, Your 2 (Two) incoming Invoice Attachment Emails are on hold.

Please validate your account below to retrieve your Invoice Attachment emails:
Click Here and Login To Retrieve Your Email. If Found in your spam folder, please move it into your inbox before you click.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Regards,
Thanks for using Inspec Homes Services !
Copyright © 2025 1&1 Tse.org.gt & Media Inc. All rights reserved.
Webmail Administrator.

Phishing website used in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Invoice Attachments On Hold 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 often send the same email to many addresses. They often collect email addresses from leaks, deceptive websites, or similar channels and send these fake messages to as many people as possible.

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

Immediately change your passwords, especially if multiple accounts can be accessed using the same login credentials. Also, monitor your accounts for suspicious activity.

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

Malicious files can infect your system as soon as they are opened or after performing actions like enabling macros in a compromised document. Whether malware has infiltrated your system depends on the file type that was opened.

I have read the 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 a deceptive email can expose your system to malware.

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

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known threats, but more advanced malware may hide deep in the system, so performing a full scan is crucial for detection and removal.