Phishing email scam informs you that viruses have been detected

An email message claims that virus activities have been detected in your email account and that your email service provider demands that you scan and delete the threat. The email message says that in order to keep your account safe you must follow a URL to run a quick email scan.

Here’s an example of the email message:

Subject: Security alert
From: [Email provider or domain]
To: [Your email address]

Attention: [Your name]

This is to inform you that virus activities have been detected un your email account.
And we demand that you take immediate action to scan and delete all threatst from your email account

To keep your account safe, please follow the URL below to run a quick email scan.

Scan-[Your email address]

If you ignore this notice, your account will be suspended to protect our server from further damage.

Source: [Email provider or domain]

This message is auto-generated from E-mail security server, and replies sent to this email can not be delivered.
This email is meant for: [Your email address]

The purpose of this email message is to trick you into visiting a phishing website to obtain your password. If you click the link in the email message you will be directed to a web page on a phishing site that says virus activities have been detected in your account and suggests that you click a Start Scan button to scan your email and automatically delete all viruses and malware.

If you click the button to scan your email account you will be asked to provide your password. A fake scan will engage that says “scanning your mailbox” and when the fake scan has finished it will say “scan complete” and forward you to Google.com.

To be absolutely clear and the email message is fraudulent. Viruses and malware were not detected in your email account if you received this message. Do not provide the website with your password.

If you have been tricked by this scam then your email account is compromised. It is recommended to immediately change your password.

Tips for making a secure password:

• Make a unique password. Do not reuse the same password for multiple accounts.
• Use strong passwords with numbers, letters, and special characters such as !@$#.
• Use two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security along with your password.
• Use a reputable password manager if you have trouble remembering multiple passwords.