Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

"About Your Account De-Activation" Microsoft Outlook Phishing Scam
About Your Account De-Activation Microsoft Outlook Phishing Scam

The email message below with the subject: "About Your Account De-Activation," which claims that the recipients' Microsoft email accounts require an immediate verification process to avoid termination, is a phishing scam created to steal Microsoft Outlook or Hotmail 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 it, and not follow the instructions in it.

The Phishing Microsoft Outlook Email Message

From: user-maintenance440-html4986 @outlook.com
Subject: ABOUT: [Your Account DE-ACTIVATION]
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2016 11:27:23 +0000

Dear valued user,

Your Microsoft email account requires an immediate verification process to avoid termination.

Failure to oblige will lead to permanent shut-down of your account.

RE-ACTIVATE AND VERIFY

Thank you.
Safety Certification
Outlook ! Mail Product Management.
All Rights Reserved. Intellectual Property Rights Policy..

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 into account. 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:

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