Remove “You are requested by the Admin Department” email

The “You are requested by the Admin Department” email is part of a phishing campaign that targets users’ email login credentials. The email claims that you are requested to sign an Excel document by the Admin Department. However, if you click on the link, you will be taken to a phishing page that displays a fake pop-up saying the document has been encrypted and you need to log in to your email account to view it. If you type in your password in this pop-up, it will be sent to the malicious actors operating this phishing campaign. This would allow them to access your email account.

 

 

This “You are requested by the Admin Department” email is a rather generic, malicious email, and users should be able to identify it as phishing quite easily. It claims that you need to sign an Excel document. This is supposedly a request by the Admin Department. The email has a “Review & Sign” button, and it will lead you to a phishing page. The site displays a blurry Excel image in the background and a pop-up saying the document has been encrypted. To view the document, you supposedly need to log in to your email account. The email username is already typed in, so only a password is needed. If you type in your password, it will be sent to the malicious actors operating this phishing campaign. If your account is not protected with multi-factor authentication, malicious actors stealing your password would allow them access to your email account.

Cybercriminals use stolen credentials for their own illicit purposes or sell them to other malicious entities. Email login credentials are especially valuable, as email accounts often have several years’ worth of sensitive data. What’s more, they are connected to other accounts. Once a cybercriminal takes control of an email account, they can exploit it in multiple ways, such as blackmailing account holders and accessing their other accounts.

The full text from the “You are requested by the Admin Department” phishing email is below:

Subject: Docusign — Sign-Agreement First 2025_final.docx.xls

xodo sign
by apryse

This is to remind you that you are requested by the Admin Department of – to sign this Excel document.

Requester: –
Receipient: –
Review & Sign

You can reply to this email in order to deliver a message to the requester.

Do Not Share This Email
To ensure the security of your data, do not share this message or forward it to others.

Processed by Xodo Sign on behalf of –

Signs of a phishing email

A lot of phishing emails are generic and thus, easy to recognize as malicious. Generic phishing emails are usually used to target regular home users. Phishing attempts aimed at high-profile individuals or organizations are often more sophisticated and harder to detect because they are personalized. Fortunately, the majority of people get only the more generic, widely distributed phishing emails.

How an email addresses you can often tell you a lot about whether it’s legitimate or possibly malicious. If you are addressed using generic words like User, Member, Customer, etc., by a sender who should know your name, it’s likely malicious. If you’re not addressed at all, it could also be a red flag. This is the case with the “You are requested by the Admin Department” email, as it does not address you at all. Emails from legitimate senders will always address you by name. Another red flag is grammar and spelling mistakes. Legitimate emails are generally well-written, whereas poorly executed phishing attempts frequently contain multiple mistakes. Even if an email appears legitimate, watch for unusual or awkward phrasing.

If you receive an unsolicited email that asks you to do something, the first thing you need to check is the sender’s email address. In many cases, malicious addresses are easily recognizable, as is the case with this “You are requested by the Admin Department” email. However, some cybercriminals use methods to make fraudulent email addresses appear credible and professional. Doing research on suspicious addresses, even with a quick online search, can provide valuable information and help avoid potential risks.

Remove “You are requested by the Admin Department” phishing email

Delete “You are requested by the Admin Department” email from your inbox and disregard its contents. If you’ve interacted with it, clicked any links, or entered your login details, change your password immediately if you can still access your email account. If you’ve lost access to the account and recovery options do not work, unlink the email address from all other accounts.