MailGuard has detected and blocked a new phishing campaign targeting unsuspecting users with a fake “Email Shutdown” warning. This scam is designed to create panic and pressure recipients into clicking through to a phishing page that captures email credentials.
What the scam looks like
The email subject line warns of a “Final Warning - Email Shutdown” and appears to come from the victim’s own domain — a tactic used to lend credibility and bypass suspicion.
Here’s what the email looks like, with a fake sender name (e.g. info(at)azure.com) and alarming language intended to drive immediate action:
“We notice you have not updated your email account to our latest version. If you fail to update, your email account will be Shutdown today.”
The email includes a prominent “Update now >>” link that leads to a fake login page asking users to re-enter their email address and password.
Once credentials are entered, the user is redirected to an image of an “incorrect password” error message (below), designed to make the interaction seem legitimate — and delay detection that credentials have been stolen.
How the scam works
- Step 1: The user receives an email that appears to be from their own IT team or Microsoft Azure, warning of impending email shutdown.
- Step 2: Clicking the “Update now” link takes them to a phishing form disguised as a secure login page.
- Step 3: Users input their email and password, which are immediately harvested.
- Step 4: They are shown a false “Incorrect password” screen to appear credible and divert suspicion.
Why this attack is effective
This is a low-complexity scam with high risk, exploiting brand trust and urgency. It:
- Uses basic HTML emails with embedded image links to evade detection
- Mimics internal alerts or IT notifications to enhance legitimacy, and
- Is designed to capture credentials without arousing immediate suspicion
Stay Safe - Know the Signs
MailGuard advises all recipients of these emails to delete them immediately without clicking on any links. Responding or providing personal details can lead to identity theft, data breaches, and financial losses.
Avoid emails that:
- Aren’t addressed to you personally.
- Are unexpected and urge immediate action.
- Contain poor grammar or miss crucial identifying details.
- Direct you to a suspicious URL that isn’t associated with the genuine company.
In particular for this scam, look out for:
- Emails that use your own domain name in the display sender field,
- Warnings about “account shutdown” or “service deactivation” with short deadlines,
- Login pages that don’t belong to your actual service provider, and
- Redirects after login — particularly to a static image or error message.
Many businesses turn to MailGuard after a near miss or incident. Don't wait until it's too late.
Reach out to our team for a confidential discussion by emailing expert@mailguard.com.au or calling 1300 30 44 30.
One Email Is All That It Takes
All that it takes to devastate your business is a cleverly worded email message that can steal sensitive user credentials or disrupt your business operations. If scammers can trick one person in your company into clicking on a malicious link or attachment, they can gain access to your data or inflict damage on your business.
For a few dollars per staff member per month, you can protect your business with MailGuard's specialist, 'zero zero-day' email security. Special Ops for when speed matters! Our real-time 'zero-zero-day', email threat detection amplifies our client’s intelligence, knowledge, security and defence. Talk to a solution consultant at MailGuard today about securing your company's inboxes.
Stay up-to-date with MailGuard's latest blog posts by subscribing to free updates. Subscribe to weekly updates by clicking on the button below.
