'Due to Recent Upgrade or Error' Email Scam

The 'Due to Recent Upgrade or Error' emails are part of a phishing scheme. The fraudsters disseminate these deceptive emails in hopes of tricking users into divulging sensitive information, such as their email account credentials (usernames, passwords, etc.). The subject line of the dubious emails could be similar to 'Case_No: -135998347511' and they will claim that the user's email password is going to expire on the same day. The reason given for this is that either an error occurred on the email service provider's servers or that there was an update.

Of course, all these claims are completely false. Their sole purpose is to scare the user into clicking the two provided links - 'Keep Same' and 'Password.' Both links will take the unsuspecting user to a dedicated phishing page that will imitate the official portal of the specific email provided. To appear more legitimate, the phishing site will copy scripts for the original, allowing it to achieve convincing renditions of the graphical legitimate graphical design. It should be noted that the emails associated with this tactic often use letters and symbols from other languages that are visually similar to the English ones. The apparent goal is to bypass any potential spam protection.

All information entered into the fake site will be compromised. The fraudsters will gain access to the email log-in credentials of the users and use them to expand their reach. Other associated accounts, such as ones for social medial platforms, also could become compromised. Depending on the goals of the con artists, the acquired confidential information also could be offered for sale to third parties, including cybercriminal groups.