The email message below: "Your Microsoft account requires update," which claims the recipients will lose their Microsoft accounts or have their Microsoft accounts deactivated because they have not updated or upgrade them, is a phishing scam sent by cybercriminals, and not by Microsoft. The fake email message was created by cybercriminals to frighten and trick the recipients into clicking on the link within it. The link goes to a phishing website or a fake website looking like Microsoft’s website, created by cybercriminals to trick potential victims into entering their Microsoft account usernames and passwords on it, by asking them to sign in. But, any attempts to sign into the fake website, will result in the victims’ Microsoft account usernames and passwords being sent to cybercriminals.
Once cybercriminals have gotten their potential victims’ account credentials (usernames and passwords), they will use it to hijack their Microsoft accounts and use them fraudulently. Therefore, recipients of the phishing email message (see below) who were tricked into clicking on the link within it and have attempted to sign into the phishing or fake website that they were taken, are asked to change their Microsoft account passwords immediately, before they are hijacked and used fraudulently by cybercriminals.
The Phishing Microsoft Account Update or Upgrade Email Message
To: Outlook.com Service
Subject: Your Microsoft account requires update
Microsoft
Outlook Deactivation
Dear User,
It has come to our notice that your account is not yet upgraded after several notice of verification, you are yet to upgrade your account.
Kindly be informed that we'll not be held responsible for your account deactivation once you fail to upgrade your account after this Final Warning.to remove your account from our deactivation list kindly click Upgrade now below
To upgrade Click Here
WARNING:ACCOUNT OWNER THAT REFUSES TO UPDATE HIS/HER ACCOUNT AFTER 5 DAYS OF RECEIVING THIS WARNING WILL LOSE HIS OR HER ACCOUNT PERMANENTLY.
Sincerely,
The Microsoft Services Team