Beware of "Email Deactivation - Verify Your Email Address" Microsoft Phishing Scam

Updated: February 17, 2018 2018-02-17T06:07:28 -
Posted: June 7, 2016 2016-06-07T09:58:33
Views: 11,528
Comments: 16

The email message below with the subject: "Email Deactivation - Verify Your Email Address," which claims that the recipients' Microsoft account will be deactivated and subsequently closed down if they do not verify and update their accounts' information, is a phishing scam created to steal Microsoft user names and passwords. The email message was not sent by Microsoft, but by cyber-criminals, whose intentions are to hijack email accounts and use them for malicious purposes. So, recipients of the same email message are advised to delete and do not follow the instructions in it.

The Phishing Microsoft Email Message

From: outlook team service@teamcenter. onmicrosoft.com
Date: 6 Jun 2016 19:56
Subject: Email Deactivation
Verify your email address

Dear User,

Our record indicates your account is not updated, which may lead to the close down of your account.

Please visit the link Verify Now to avoid the close down of your account and keep enjoying our services

Sincerely,
Microsoft Team

Microsoft Corporation | One Yahoo Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399

The link in the email message goes to a fake Outlook or Microsoft website, which will attempt to trick the cyber-criminals' 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 their accounts.

If you have received the same email message, please go directly to your email account instead of clicking on the links in the email message. And, if there is anything wrong with your account, it will be shown to you after signing in. If you were tricked by the phishing email, please change your Microsoft Hotmail/Live/Outlook immediately. If you are unable to, click here to report it to Microsoft.

This scam is similar to the following:

Note: Some of the names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers in email samples on this website may have been impersonated.

Please share what you know or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. Also, check the comment section below for additional information, if there is any.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

(Total: 16)

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September 25, 2018 at 12:45 PM by info
Here is another scam:

"From: Outlook- Team-Admin <mero_mega2006@hotmail.com>
Sent: 25 September 2018 04:04
To: USER@T-ONLINE.DE
Subject: Mail Deactivation

MailBox De-activation ©

We are doing a spam verification survey, which your e-mail account was listed and has recently not been updated, verify your account to help us secure your account better.

Verify Your Account

Thanks.
Adrnin ! ©2018 All Rights Reserved
This email was generated with reference no. 27916310
This is an automated message replies cannot be answered"
remove
August 9, 2018 at 8:19 AM by an anonymous user from Rolling Meadows, Illinois, United States
Here is another scam:

"Hotmail Team <no-reply.vmgqvthm@mcrosoft.com>
Thu 8/9/2018, 5:30 AM
Microsoft account
Account Security Alert

Dear xxxx

Please note that as of August 09, 2018, 01:30 AM we are updating the Microsoft Services Agreement, We’re making these updates to ensure the safety of your Microsoft account. We recommend you to confirm your account to avoid deactivation.

Verify Your Account

Thanks,
Microsoft"
remove
June 12, 2018 at 1:49 PM by info
Here is another scam:

"From: IT Admin. <IT_noreply@>
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2018 7:40 AM
Subject: CONFIRM EMAIL DE-ACTIVATION

Inline image 2
EMAIL DE-ACTIVATION

Our record indicates that you recently made a request to shutdown your email and this request will be processed shortly.

If this request was made accidentally and you have no knowledge of it, you are advised to cancel using STOP below.

Dear rob, are you sure you want shutdown email?

Email:

Date/Time:

Administrator:
6/8/2018 7:40:08 a.m.

CANCEL REQUEST

However, if you do not STOP this request, your account will be blocked and all your email data will be lost permanently.

We and appreciate your assistance in helping us maintain the integrity of the entire system. Thank you for being our customer.

Copyright © 2018
All rights reserved."
remove
January 10, 2018 at 1:54 PM by an anonymous user from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Thanks for the warning
remove
December 8, 2017 at 6:10 PM by an anonymous user from Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia
Thank you for the warning. I just received a notice saying I needed to take immediate action or my hotmail account would be permanently deactivated. I was concerned but glad I thought to check.

Thanks for the scam warnings
remove
October 20, 2017 at 10:02 AM by info
Here is another scam:

"From: Microsoft account team [mailto:seasons-restaurant@btconnect.com]
Sent: 19 October 2017 15:55
Subject: Microsoft Updates Term of Uses and Privacy Policy Statement.

Office 365 Microsoft
Verify your email address

Dear,

Our record indicates your account is not updated, which may lead to the close down of your account.

Please visit the link Verify Now to avoid the close down of your account and keep enjoying our services

Sincerely,
The Microsoft Active Directory Team

Microsoft Corporation | One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399"
remove
October 6, 2017 at 1:51 AM by an anonymous user from Zejtun, Iz-Zejtun, Malta
I received this email at work and I have deleted it:

"Microsoft Office Account Team <notification@emailsupport.com>

Attention

This is a courtesy notice that you are nearing your maximum email storage limit.
Your Office365 account would be blocked from sending and receiving emails
if your Microsoft account **** is not verified with in 48hrs.

You will not be able to send or receive new mail until you upgrade your email quota.
You are advised to visit our verification portal below and re-login to effect the change.

Click here to continue

*Important:
In general, domestic data usage will be reflected within 48 hours.

Thanks,
2017 Microsoft Office 365"
remove
September 26, 2017 at 12:01 PM by tmazz21 from Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Lately, when I change my password and reboot my computer my laptop pops up with a message from the mailer server to reenter my password.

Question to you,

Is it possible that the hackers have gotten inside my setup and have the Mailer server message popup whenever I change my password on outlook?

I never noticed this happening a few months back, this is only something that's been happening the past month or two. Maybe it's part of the new updates??
remove
- September 26, 2017 at 12:10 PM by info
  That is normal. Outlook will pop up and prompt you to enter your new password when you change your email account's password. This is because it will not be able to gain access to your account with the old password.
  remove
September 21, 2017 at 8:47 PM by an anonymous user from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
I have received an email like the people below, and I gave them my EMAIL ONLY, to stop them deactivating my email address and to shut it down completely.

I have not given out any Passwords and I realise they already had my email address as they sent me this letter.
Question: are my emails still safe from them? Is any further action required to protect my accounts.
remove
- September 22, 2017 at 3:19 AM by info
  They cannot shut down your email account and cannot gain access to it because they do not have your password. So, there is nothing to worry about. What they will do is to send you phishing or fake email messages, but all you have to do is to delete them. Do not click on the links or follow the instructions in them.
  remove
  - September 22, 2017 at 8:45 AM by an anonymous user from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
    That's a relief.
    Thank You,
    Cheers.
    remove
July 31, 2017 at 8:59 AM by an anonymous user from Monomoscoy Island, Massachusetts, United States
Just received a "confirm your email... account you request to deactivate" email.
It includes same "threat" that if you don't you account will be deactivated and all your emails permanently lost.
remove
- July 31, 2017 at 1:15 PM by info
  It is a phishing scam, just delete it.
  remove
March 14, 2017 at 10:28 PM by an anonymous user from Bremerton, Washington, United States
I received this e-mail today, it's along the same lines as the others listed above:

"HI User,

We want to confirm by email from you before De-activating your email account today.
If you did not contact us to De-activate your email, kindly follow the instruction below to cancel the De-activation process immediately before your email is closed permanently.
Sign-In to cancel your account deactivation request
Note: If you contacted us to close this email account please ignore this message and your account will be closed within the next 48 hours.

Thanks.
Outlook.com Mail.
powered by: Outlook.com Mail.
© 2017 Microsoft."
remove
February 13, 2017 at 11:23 PM by an anonymous user from Causeway Bay, Eastern, Hong Kong
This was sent to me:

Subject: "Yahoo Online Alert..
Date: Monday, February 13, 2017 6:45 PM
From: "Alert" <noreply@qemailserver.com>

Hi,
We received a request to terminate your Email and process has started, kindly give us 24hours to complete your request.

If you did not make this request Please : Undo Deactivation Request

Your Email access will be denied

Thanks."
remove

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