Written by: Jay H.
Scammers are using fake unsubscribe emails to verify valid email accounts for use in future spam and phishing campaigns, according to BleepingComputer.
You may have seen these in your inbox – emails with little to no context, simply asking if you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe. These emails do not describe what content you are subscribing or unsubscribing to and are used by spammers to confirm your email for future malicious campaigns.
Common email subjects for these spam emails include “We need your confirmation asap,” “Verification,” “Request, please confirm your subscription,” amongst other variations.
The contents of the emails are bare. Generally, there will be colourful boxes asking you to subscribe or unsubscribe, as demonstrated below:
Should you click on the subscribe or unsubscribe links, your mail client will create a new email to send to many different email addresses operated by the spammer.
Although you may expect to be unsubscribed from further emails, sending this email instead verifies your account’s legitimacy for future spam campaigns.
BleepingComputer tested a new email address to respond to various confirmation emails. As a result, spam emails bombarded the account in only a few days.
Stay Aware of Fake Unsubscribe Emails
Scammers use these fake subscribe/unsubscribe emails to refine their mailing lists and verify emails susceptible to attacks. Overall, you should never open links or files from unknown senders and be aware of the signs of a phishing attack.
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