‘Two-Factor Verification’ Email Scam: What You Need To Know!
Written by: Stelian Pilici
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Email scams are becoming increasingly common as cybercriminals find new ways to trick unsuspecting users into giving up sensitive information. One such scam that has been circulating recently is the “Two-Factor Verification” phishing email. This fraudulent email claims your account requires additional authentication for security purposes. However, clicking on any links or providing information will only lead to your credentials being compromised.
This article will break down exactly how the “Two-Factor Verification” scam works, how to identify it, and what you can do if you have fallen victim. Being able to recognize and avoid phishing attempts is crucial to keeping your accounts and data safe online.
What is the ‘Two-Factor Verification’ Email Scam?
The “Two-Factor Verification” scam is a phishing email pretending to be from a legitimate service provider such as Google, Microsoft, or Dropbox. The subject line usually contains some variation of “Two Factor Verification” or “Extra Security Measure Required.”
The email claims that for security reasons, you must re-authenticate or enable two-factor authentication on your account. It will provide a link to click on or a button to “Enable Extra Security.” If clicked, this will send you to a fake phishing site impersonating the real login page for that service.
The scam relies on urgency and fear – stating that if you don’t act quickly your account will be locked or deleted. This pressures victims into hastily clicking without checking the sender or thinking twice. The ultimate goal is to capture your login credentials or personally identifying information for malicious purposes.
How Does the ‘Two-Factor Verification’ Email Scam Work?
Here are the typical steps of how the “Two-Factor Verification” scam unfold:
You receive an email with an alarming subject line like “Confirm Your Identity” or “Extra Security Measure Required Immediately.” The sender name is spoofed to look like a trusted service.
The email states that there was suspicious activity detected, so you must confirm your account ownership through a two-factor authentication process.
There is a link or button to “Confirm Account” or “Enable Extra Security” that goes to a fake phishing site impersonating the real service.
On the phishing site, you are prompted to enter your username and password to begin the “verification process.”
After capturing your login credentials, you are redirected to an error page or the legitimate website.
In the background, the scammers now have the keys to access and take over your real account. They leverage this to steal data, send malicious emails, or harvest contacts.
The email is designed to look official and urgent, preying on fear of being hacked. Since two-factor authentication is commonly used, the scam seems plausible if you don’t look too closely. But inspecting the sender address, grammar, formatting, or links will reveal it’s fake.
How to Spot and Avoid the ‘Two-Factor Verification’ Scam
While this phishing scam can look quite convincing on the surface, there are usually signs that reveal it is malicious if you know what to look for. Here are some tips for spotting and avoiding the “Two-Factor Verification” scam:
Inspect the sender’s email address – Emails from companies will come from their official domain, not a random address. For example, Google uses @google.com or @accounts.google.com.
Check for poor spelling and grammar – Phishing emails often contain typos, awkward phrasing, or grammatical errors. Legitimate emails from major companies will not.
Verify the links before clicking – Hover over any links to see the actual URL destination. Phishing sites use lookalike URLs designed to imitate the real one.
Look for lack of personalization – Generic greetings like “Dear user” without using your name indicate a scam. Official emails will address you directly.
Be suspicious of threats or strong urgency – Scare tactics like account deletion threats are used to bypass logical thinking. Legitimate companies generally don’t make severe threats in emails.
Avoid automatically clicking buttons or links – Even if it looks official, manually type out web addresses in your browser or use saved bookmarks to be safe.
Check for inconsistencies in branding – Phishing sites often have slightly different logos, fonts, or color schemes than the actual company.
Use an email spam filter – A good spam filter will identify and block many phishing emails before they reach you. Gmail has strong built-in protection.
Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) – Activating 2FA adds extra login security, meaning stolen passwords are useless to scammers.
Always think before clicking and never provide your username, password, or other details through an unsolicited email link. Taking a few seconds to question and validate the email first can save you from potentially compromised accounts and valuable data loss.
What to Do If You Have Fallen Victim?
If you unfortunately clicked and submitted any information through the phishing site, you should take action immediately:
Change your password for that account – Use a completely new, complex password that hasn’t been used anywhere else. This will revoke access from the scammers.
Enable two-factor authentication – For accounts that support 2FA like Google or Facebook, make sure to turn it on for enhanced security. This adds another layer of protection.
Check account activity – Thoroughly review all recent activity on the compromised account for anything suspicious. Check for unrecognized logins, password reset emails, or changes made.
Scan devices for malware – Hackers could have installed spyware or keyloggers when you visited the phishing site. If you suspect your device is infected with malware, you should run a scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free..
Contact customer support – Notify the service provider about the scam and reset your credentials. They may offer additional security measures for compromised accounts.
Beware of any follow up scams – Often hackers will target you again hoping you’ll fall for a repeat trick. Stay vigilant for more phishing attempts impersonating security teams.
Update passwords across accounts – If you reuse the same password, make sure to change it everywhere to avoid any wider impact. Don’t reuse passwords period.
Moving forward, always be cautious about unsolicited emails asking you to login or authenticate your account. Go directly to the real website and use bookmarks instead of clicking email links. Use unique passwords for every service and turn on two-factor authentication where possible.
Is Your Device Infected? Check for Malware
If your device is running slowly or acting suspicious, it may be infected with malware. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free is a great option for scanning your device and detecting potential malware or viruses. The free version can efficiently check for and remove many common infections.
Malwarebytes can run on Windows, Mac, and Android devices. Depending on which operating system is installed on the device you’re trying to run a Malwarebytes scan, please click on the tab below and follow the displayed steps.
Malwarebytes For WindowsMalwarebytes For MacMalwarebytes For Android
Scan your computer with Malwarebytes for Windows to remove malware
Malwarebytes stands out as one of the leading and widely-used anti-malware solutions for Windows, and for good reason. It effectively eradicates various types of malware that other programs often overlook, all at no cost to you. When it comes to disinfecting an infected device, Malwarebytes has consistently been a free and indispensable tool in the battle against malware. We highly recommend it for maintaining a clean and secure system.
Download Malwarebytes for Windows
You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.
After the download is complete, locate the MBSetup file, typically found in your Downloads folder. Double-click on the MBSetup file to begin the installation of Malwarebytes on your computer. If a User Account Control pop-up appears, click “Yes” to continue the Malwarebytes installation.
Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, the setup wizard will guide you through the process.
You’ll first be prompted to choose the type of computer you’re installing the program on—select either “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” as appropriate, then click on Next.
Malwarebytes will now begin the installation process on your device.
When the Malwarebytes installation is complete, the program will automatically open to the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen.
On the final screen, simply click on the Open Malwarebytes option to start the program.
Enable “Rootkit scanning”.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start, and you will see the main screen as shown below. To maximize Malwarebytes’ ability to detect malware and unwanted programs, we need to enable rootkit scanning. Click on the “Settings” gear icon located on the left of the screen to access the general settings section.
In the settings menu, enable the “Scan for rootkits” option by clicking the toggle switch until it turns blue.
Now that you have enabled rootkit scanning, click on the “Dashboard” button in the left pane to get back to the main screen.
Perform a Scan with Malwarebytes.
To start a scan, click the Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its antivirus database and begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Quarantine detected malware
Once the Malwarebytes scan is complete, it will display a list of detected malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. To effectively remove these threats, click the “Quarantine” button.
Malwarebytes will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the program’s quarantine.
Restart your computer.
When removing files, Malwarebytes may require a reboot to fully eliminate some threats. If you see a message indicating that a reboot is needed, please allow it. Once your computer has restarted and you are logged back in, you can continue with the remaining steps.
Your computer should now be free of trojans, adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed this malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing Malwarebytes Premium to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Scan your computer with Malwarebytes for Mac to remove malware
Malwarebytes for Mac is an on-demand scanner that can destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss without costing you absolutely anything. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free, and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.
Download Malwarebytes for Mac.
You can download Malwarebytes for Mac by clicking the link below.
When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the setup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes for Mac Installer which will guide you through the installation process. Click “Continue“, then keep following the prompts to continue with the installation process.
When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.
Select “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer”.
The Malwarebytes Welcome screen will first ask you what type of computer are you installing this program, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
Click on “Scan”.
To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes for Mac will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malware.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Quarantine”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malware that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
Restart computer.
Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
Your Mac should now be free of adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious program on your computer, you might want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove a malicious program from your computer, please ask for help in our Mac Malware Removal Help & Support forum.
Scan your phone with Malwarebytes for Android to remove malware
Malwarebytes for Android automatically detects and removes dangerous threats like malware and ransomware so you don’t have to worry about your most-used device being compromised. Aggressive detection of adware and potentially unwanted programs keeps your Android phone or tablet running smooth.
Download Malwarebytes for Android.
You can download Malwarebytes for Android by clicking the link below.
In the Google Play Store, tap “Install” to install Malwarebytes for Android on your device.
When the installation process has finished, tap “Open” to begin using Malwarebytes for Android. You can also open Malwarebytes by tapping on its icon in your phone menu or home screen.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process
When Malwarebytes will open, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through a series of permissions and other setup options. This is the first of two screens that explain the difference between the Premium and Free versions. Swipe this screen to continue. Tap on “Got it” to proceed to the next step. Malwarebytes for Android will now ask for a set of permissions that are required to scan your device and protect it from malware. Tap on “Give permission” to continue. Tap on “Allow” to permit Malwarebytes to access the files on your phone.
Update database and run a scan with Malwarebytes for Android
You will now be prompted to update the Malwarebytes database and run a full system scan.
Click on “Update database” to update the Malwarebytes for Android definitions to the latest version, then click on “Run full scan” to perform a system scan.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now start scanning your phone for adware and other malicious apps. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Remove Selected”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes for Android has detected. To remove the malicious apps that Malwarebytes has found, tap on the “Remove Selected” button.
Restart your phone.
Malwarebytes for Android will now remove all the malicious apps that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your device.
Your phone should now be free of adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious app on your phone, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your phone after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Restore your phone to factory settings by going to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
The “Two-Factor Verification” phishing scam is designed to trick users into compromising their own account security through clever social engineering. By recognizing the techniques used in this scam, inspecting sender details, and avoiding hastily clicking, you can protect yourself. If you do fall victim, take swift action like resetting passwords and enabling two-factor authentication to secure accounts. Staying vigilant for the latest tricks hackers use will keep you and your data safe online.
How to Stay Safe Online
Here are 10 basic security tips to help you avoid malware and protect your device:
Use a good antivirus and keep it up-to-date.
It's essential to use a good quality antivirus and keep it up-to-date to stay ahead of the latest cyber threats. We are huge fans of Malwarebytes Premium and use it on all of our devices, including Windows and Mac computers as well as our mobile devices. Malwarebytes sits beside your traditional antivirus, filling in any gaps in its defenses, and providing extra protection against sneakier security threats.
Keep software and operating systems up-to-date.
Keep your operating system and apps up to date. Whenever an update is released for your device, download and install it right away. These updates often include security fixes, vulnerability patches, and other necessary maintenance.
Be careful when installing programs and apps.
Pay close attention to installation screens and license agreements when installing software. Custom or advanced installation options will often disclose any third-party software that is also being installed. Take great care in every stage of the process and make sure you know what it is you're agreeing to before you click "Next."
Install an ad blocker.
Use a browser-based content blocker, like AdGuard. Content blockers help stop malicious ads, Trojans, phishing, and other undesirable content that an antivirus product alone may not stop.
Be careful what you download.
A top goal of cybercriminals is to trick you into downloading malware—programs or apps that carry malware or try to steal information. This malware can be disguised as an app: anything from a popular game to something that checks traffic or the weather.
Be alert for people trying to trick you.
Whether it's your email, phone, messenger, or other applications, always be alert and on guard for someone trying to trick you into clicking on links or replying to messages. Remember that it's easy to spoof phone numbers, so a familiar name or number doesn't make messages more trustworthy.
Back up your data.
Back up your data frequently and check that your backup data can be restored. You can do this manually on an external HDD/USB stick, or automatically using backup software. This is also the best way to counter ransomware. Never connect the backup drive to a computer if you suspect that the computer is infected with malware.
Choose strong passwords.
Use strong and unique passwords for each of your accounts. Avoid using personal information or easily guessable words in your passwords. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts whenever possible.
Be careful where you click.
Be cautious when clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. These could potentially contain malware or phishing scams.
Don't use pirated software.
Avoid using Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing programs, keygens, cracks, and other pirated software that can often compromise your data, privacy, or both.
To avoid potential dangers on the internet, it's important to follow these 10 basic safety rules. By doing so, you can protect yourself from many of the unpleasant surprises that can arise when using the web.
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Meet Stelian Pilici
Stelian leverages over a decade of cybersecurity expertise to lead malware analysis and removal, uncover scams, and educate people. His experience provides insightful analysis and valuable perspective.
