Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.
Scamming - Fraud
Outlook or Hotmail users should never click on a link in an email message to sign into their accounts. The phishing email message below, which steals email account credentials (usernames and passwords) is the reason why I am encouraging Outlook or Hotmail users never to click on links to sign into their accounts. They should instead, go directly to www.outlook.com or www.hotmail.com and sign-in from there. If there is something wrong with their accounts or there is something that they need to do, they will be notified right after signing in. This is the best method of preventing phishing scams, which are the most deceptive technique used by cybercriminals to steal their potential victims’ account usernames and passwords.
From: "Outlook Team" LOL141477627048136@onlineworking.centennialcollege.caDate: October 11, 2016 at 2:27:16 PM MDTSubject: 13:27:05 10/11/2016 38707393489948) 13:27:05Hotmail e-mail account: User-ID :HT86-5325We have recently upgraded all our customer e-mail addresses to Outlook.com.Due to this, your Hotmail account needs to be re-activated.You can do this by just simply logging in on the link below:If your e-mail account is not activated within 2 working days it may expire.This is a compulsory process that affects all our customers.Thank you for your support,The Microsoft Outlook Users & Security team.
From: "Outlook Team" LOL141477627048136@onlineworking.centennialcollege.caDate: October 11, 2016 at 2:27:16 PM MDTSubject: 13:27:05 10/11/2016 38707393489948) 13:27:05
Hotmail e-mail account: User-ID :HT86-5325
We have recently upgraded all our customer e-mail addresses to Outlook.com.
Due to this, your Hotmail account needs to be re-activated.
You can do this by just simply logging in on the link below:
If your e-mail account is not activated within 2 working days it may expire.
This is a compulsory process that affects all our customers.
Thank you for your support,
The Microsoft Outlook Users & Security team.
Recipients of the phishing email message above are asked to delete it and not follow the instructions in it. But, for Outlook or Hotmail users who have already been tricked by the same phishing email, are asked to change their Outlook or Hotmail account passwords immediately, before their accounts are hijacked and used fraudulently.
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Here is another scam:"From: Outlook-Email Date: 11 June 2018 at 11:39:02 BSTSubject: Security info was replaced We're processing your request soon 971253-D9TT38D5Hotmail e-mail account: User-ID :brnctikmqpjqq-qiqdaiuDearWe have recently upgraded all our customer e-mail addresses to Outlook.com. Due to this, your Hotmail account needs to be re-activated.You can do this by just simply logging in on the link below: https://www.msn.com/en-gbIf your e-mail account is not activated within 2 working days it may expire.This is a compulsory process that affects all our customers.Thank you for your support,The Microsoft Outlook Users&Security team"
Here is another scam:"From: Canada-OutlookGroup.283.SentMessagesToAllMembers28362 -hprc.external.hp.com Sent: January 27, 2017 5:37 PMSubject: 1 New message - (ID-28HWJ) Hotmail server upgrading e-mail account - We have recently upgraded all our customer e-mail addresses to the new Outlook.com. Due to this your Hotmail e-mail account needs to be re-activated. You can do this by just simply logging in on the link below: https://www.logins.live.com/activate-s-login28362.srf Note: If your e-mail account is not activated within 2 working days it may expire.This is a compulsory process that affects all our customers.Outlook IT Security Team 2017"
Easy enough, I just make sure my antivirus, malware etc. software is running, manually enter the address and wait and see. Guess what, my stuff does its job and won't let me connect and then provides a warning of course. Often enough I check it out online first-Google always results in posts from many who had had this sent to them. I see it as a really dumb attempt to scam people and since many of us do create fake user names with even Hotmail/Outlook, what I've found in the past year or so is that for a fake name I'm using but do use the email to post classified ads that I legitimately sell items from, I'm getting mail for things like "your RBC bank account is in need of ummm...something" and so on.Even one supposedly from Apple and my ummm, iTunes account?? Ha ha, I use neither RBC or Apple so they're just phishin' or another word FISHING! I had fun with the Apple account though and when entering a fake Visa or Mastercard 16-digit number, the clue is always where it allows one to proceed further because a legit number in the CC's database would allow it, a fake one would advise you to check it. If my email address in cukichcfdqwdjdjhgcchwejdc-hotmail, what do you think the odds are that anyone would even know it or get it right? Send out millions to billions of messages, sooner or later they'll catch a few suckers of course.
