Is the Email ‘Microsoft Account Security Alert-Recover Account’ a Phishing Scam?
Is the email message below: ‘Microsoft account security alert,’ legitimate or a phishing scam? Well, that is the question a lot of people have been asking us here at Online Threat Alerts. So, we examined the email message and found that it is legitimate, but it doesn't mean that cyber-criminals will not create similar email messages with links to malicious or malware websites.
The Microsoft Security Alert Email Message
From: Microsoft account team account-security-noreply @account.microsoft.com
Subject: Microsoft account security alert
Microsoft accountSecurity alert
We think that someone else might have accessed the Microsoft account email address. When this happens, we require you to verify your identity with a security challenge and then change your password the next time you sign in.
If someone else has access to your account, they have your password and might be trying to access your personal information or send junk email.
If you haven't already recovered your account, we can help you do it now.
Learn how to make your account more secure.
Thanks,
The Microsoft account team
How do we know that the email message is legitimate and not a phishing scam created to steal Hotmail, Live or Outlook users’ sign-in or login credentials?
Well, it very easy, because all you have to do is to move your mouse pointer or cursor over the “Recover account” link within the email message and look in your web browser’s address bar, where the name of the website that the link goes to will be shown. And looking at address bar you will notice that the link goes or points to the website address: account.live.com.
Note: Your web browser address bar is located at the bottom of the browser window.
The website address: account.live.com is owned by Microsoft. The other link in the email message actually goes to Microsoft’s own website: go.microsoft.com.
And, this is how we were able to determine that the message is legitimate and not a phishing scam.
Now, if you receive email messages, which appear as if they came from Microsoft, Hotmail, Outlook or Live, that ask you to click on a link within them, please ensure that the links in the messages go to one of the following website addresses:
- live.com
- hotmail.com
- outlook.com
- microsoft.com
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.