The email message below, which claims that a request to terminate your Outlook account has been received, is a phishing scam being sent by cybercriminals to steal Microsoft Hotmail/Live/Outlook account user names and passwords. Once the cybercriminals have stolen your account credentials, they will use it to gain access to your account and use it fraudulently or maliciously.
The "Request to terminate your Outlook Account" Phishing Scam
SSubject: Request to terminate your Outlook Account
Attachment: Attach Request.pdf
Outlook Termination Request
Dear Outlook User,
we received a request to terminate your Outlook Account and the process has started by our Mail Team. Please give us 12 working hours to close your Account.
If you did not initiate the termination you may click on
click here on cancel termination request
Thanks,
The Microsoft account team
The link in the email message goes to a fake Outlook or Microsoft website, which will attempt to trick the potential victims into entering their usernames and passwords on it.
If the potential victims enter their Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, Live usernames and passwords on the fake website, it will be sent to the cyber-criminals behind the email scam, who will use the information to hijack the victims' accounts.
If you receive email messages like these, please go directly to your email account instead of clicking on the links in the email messages. If there is anything wrong with your account, it will be shown to you after signing into your account.
If you were tricked by one of these malicious phishing scams, please change your Hotmail/Live/Outlook immediately.
If you are unable to, click here to report it to Microsoft.
This scam is similar to the following: