21.07.2025, Caution trap

Your e-mail address has been marked as inactive - 24 hours to prevent deletion

Have you received an e-mail with this or a similar subject? Be careful! This is an attempted scam, also known as phishing. The aim of the perpetrators is to obtain your login details.

In our example, a customer has received the following email from us, the design is reminiscent of a Strato email (orange title line):

Your@email marked as inactive - 24 hours to prevent deletion
Dear user, your e-mail address has been marked as inactive. If you do not log in within the next 24 hours, this mailbox will be automatically removed from our system. to retain access and secure your data, please log in immediately.
Register now (Usually a big fat button)
Automatically generated message - please do not reply.

We will show you how to recognize this fake e-mail and how to act correctly.

What the fraudsters claim

The e-mail is designed to create stress and immediate pressure to act. The fraudsters usually use the following claims:

  • Your account is inactive: It is falsely claimed that your e-mail address has been marked as inactive.
  • Impending deletion: You are threatened with the permanent deletion of your mailbox.
  • Extremely short deadline: A very tight deadline of just 24 hours is set to force you to act rashly.

How to recognize the fraud

Even if the e-mail looks genuine at first glance, it reveals several details. Always check the following points:

  • The link: This is the most important feature. The "Register now" link leads
    not to your hosting portal, but to a third-party domain (in the example above "listmailpro"). Always move the mouse over a link (without clicking!) to see the true goal.
  • The sender: The displayed name may be forged. The actual sender address is often a long, nonsensical address or belongs to a domain that has nothing to do with the alleged sender (in the example: @overseasmigrationservices.).
  • The salutation: Often only an impersonal form of address such as "Dear user" is used. Reputable providers usually address you by name and have a signature with telephone, email and legal notice. But beware: in the age of AI, this is not a clear indication!
  • The sound: The mixture of a vague description of the problem and a concrete threat (deletion) is a typical alarm signal.
  • The time pressure: No provider would delete your mailbox within 24 hours. Firstly, this is very questionable from a legal point of view and secondly, you would be informed in advance via various channels.

What to do?

If you receive such an e-mail:

  1. Click on NOTHING: Under no circumstances should you click on links or buttons in the e-mail if you are not 1001TP4 sure. We are happy to help you.
  2. DO NOT answer: Never reply to the e-mail.
  3. Delete e-mail: Move the e-mail directly to your spam folder or delete it.
  4. If in doubt, register directly: If you are unsure whether something is wrong with your account, open a new browser window in private mode, enter the web address of your provider directly and manually (e.g. Strato.de, Ionos.de, etc.) and log in there as usual. This way you will avoid any fake links.

Stay vigilant! As always, the best protection against scam bait is vigilance and common sense. At first glance, such an email looks genuine, but as soon as you take a second look, you will discover many parameters that are inconsistent and then something is definitely wrong.

See also