The email message below, which appears as if it came from Hotmail, claiming Hotmail has received a request to terminate the recipients’ email accounts, is a phishing scam. The phishing email scam was sent by cyber-criminals and not by Hotmail or Microsoft, to steal Hotmail users’ account credentials by frightening them into clicking on a link that the cyber thieves claim will cancel the termination request. But, recipients of the same email message should delete it and should never follow the instructions in it.
The Hotmail Phishing Scam
Dear User, received your request to terminate your Hotmail Email account
And the process has started by our Outlook Team, Please give us 24 Hours to
Complete the shut down process.
To cancel the termination request click
http://updateyouroutlookemailboxnow .yolasite.com/
Regards,
Windows Live 2016 member services.
The Outlook.com Team
© 2016 Microsoft.
The links in the phishing email message will take potential victims to the following fake Hotmail website created by cyber-criminals:
- http://updateyouroutlookemailboxnow .yolasite.com/
The fake website will ask potential victims to submit their user names, email address, password, phone number and zip code. If the potential victims enter the requested information, it will be sent to the cyber-criminals, who will use it to hijack the victims’ Hotmail account, and use the accounts fraudulently.
Hotmail users who were already tricked by the phishing scam, should change their Hotmail account passwords immediately. And, for those Hotmail users who are unable to change their passwords, should click here to contact Microsoft Hotmail.