Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.
Scamming - Fraud
The email message below: "RESET ALERT CONFIRMATION™ 2016," is a fake. The fake email message was NOT sent by Microsoft, but by cyber-criminals, who created the fake email message to steal their potential victims' Microsoft Hotmail, Live, or Outlook user names and passwords. So, recipients of the fake email message should not not click on the link or follow the instructions in it. The link in the phishing email message will take recipients who have clicked on it, to a phishing Microsoft Hotmail or Outlook website, where they will be asked to sign-in. Once the potential victims attempt to sign-in, their email account credentials(usernames and passwords) will be sent to the cyber-criminals behind the phishing scam. Once cyber-criminals are in possession of their victims' email account credentials, they will hijack and use their victims' email accounts fraudulently.
From: lmj_111@hotmail.comSubject: RESET ALERT CONFIRMATION™ 2016Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2016 14:20:04 +0000RESET ALERTDear Account User,We need to be sure if you are the real owner of this account so please verify your account now.Please Login Here to continue verification.Thanks,Copyright 2016 Inc.
From: lmj_111@hotmail.comSubject: RESET ALERT CONFIRMATION™ 2016Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2016 14:20:04 +0000
RESET ALERT
Dear Account User,
We need to be sure if you are the real owner of this account so please verify your account now.
Please Login Here to continue verification.
Thanks,
Copyright 2016 Inc.
If you were tricked into entering your user name and password on the fake or phishing Hotmail/Outlook website, please change your password immediately.
11
Here's the message I received. It looked immediately suspicious to me. I'm posting it here so readers can see the variations:"Dear Customer,Your Windows Live Email account has exceeded its limit and needs to be verified, if not verified within 24 hours, we shall suspend your account.Click here to verify your email account now Thank youCopyright © 2016 Microsoft. All rights reserved.Sent from Outlook"
My daughter had been receiving emails from me but had an address from hotmail address which i dont use. I contacted hotmail support and after agreeing to allow remote access they said my computer was full of viruses and i needed to have it cleaned up. They hit me with the cost of cleaning my computer hundreds of dollars.
You were trick by cybercrooks. Please have someone check your computer to determine if the cybercrooks installed malicious software on your computer.There is no Microsoft technical support that asks people for remote access to their computers. And, never allow a stranger remote access to your computer.
I have received almost daily requests to confirm my account, and today I got this so-called Final Notice:"Microsoft final warning verification alertYour e-mail account is currently not upgraded.Kindly sign in below for upgrade to avoid account suspension.UPGRADEThank you for using Microsoft services.Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, please readour Privacy StatementMicrosoft CorporationOne Microsoft WayRedmond, WA 98052Copyright © 2016 Microsoft"
Received this email today 10th October 2016. It says it's a final warning, but it's the first time I've heard of it! "RESET ALERT CONFIRMATION™ 2016Microsoft final warning verification alertYour e-mail account is currently not upgraded.Kindly sign in below for upgrade to avoid account suspension.UPGRADEThank you for using Microsoft services.Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, please readour Privacy StatementMicrosoft CorporationOne Microsoft WayRedmond, WA 98052Copyright © 2016 Microsoft"
Another phishing scam: "From: Microsoft Account Date: October 8, 2016 at 6:05:05 AM MDT To: "noreply@hotmail.inc" Subject: RESET ALERT CONFIRMATION™ 2016 Microsoft Final Warning Verification Alert Your e-mail account is currently not upgraded. Kindly sign in below for upgrade to avoid account suspension. UPGRADE HERE Thank you for using Microsoft services. Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, please read our Privacy Statement"
Here is another variant received this morning in BELGIUM:SCAM"Microsoft accountVerify your accountWe detected something unusual about a recent sign-in to your Microsoft account. For example, you might be signing in from a new location, device, or app.To help keep you safe, we need you verify that this is your Microsoft account to continue using your account, click the button below to verify your Microsoft account.Continue[Link]Note: Failure to verify your account within the next 48th hours we lead to your to the termination of your account and all your information will be deleted completely.Thanks,The Microsoft account team."
I received the below message this morning:"Dear User,We received a request to terminate your account and this request will be processed in the next 24hours. Please visit the link UPDATE NOW if this request is a mistake to avoid the close down of your account and keep enjoying our services.Thanks,Microsoft Team"I made no such request, did NOT push the 'UPDATE NOW' button, and presume this is like the scam you described above, and so am going to delete the message. The message came with no way to reply, except to push the 'UPDATE NOW' button.My response to their request is, I hope, the proper one, since they said my 'request' (which I never made) would be processed within 24 hours, in other words, there was a 'time limit' threat imposed, along with the letter.Thank you,Stephen.
It is just another phishing email sent by cybercriminals; do not believe it. Click here to learn more.
Here is another scam: "From: reambs@hotmail.com Subject: RESET ALERT CONFIRMATION™ Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2016 10:49:23 -0400 Dear user, Your account has exceeded its storage limit as set by our Administrator, and you might not be able to receive new emails until you Re-Validate your account to avoid deactivation and irregular received of message. Please click on the link below to Re-Validate your account. Click Here Signed, Windows Live ID Customer Support. Copyright 2016 Inc. All rights reserved. Ter"
Here is another scam: - start of scam - From: Outlook.Team 2016 Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2016 7:09 PM Subject: RESET CONFIRMATION™ 2016 Dear Customer, Your Windows Live Email account has exceeded its limit and needs to be verified, if not verified within 24 hours, we shall suspend your account. Click here to verify your email account now Thank you Copyright © 2016 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
