Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.
Scamming - Fraud
The email message below with the subject: "Microsoft Updates Term of Uses and Privacy Policy Statement," which claims the recipients need to update their accounts to prevent them from closing down, 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.
From: Microsoft account teamSent: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 12:19 PMSubject: Microsoft Updates Term of Uses and Privacy Policy Statement.Verify your email addressDear 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 servicesSincerely,The Microsoft Active Directory Team
From: Microsoft account teamSent: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 12:19 PMSubject: Microsoft Updates Term of Uses and Privacy Policy Statement.
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,The Microsoft Active Directory Team
Microsoft users should never click on a link to sign into their accounts, they should instead, go directly to https://account.microsoft.com/ and sign-in from there. If there is something that needs to be done to their accounts, they will be notified. This is will prevent Microsoft users from visiting phishing websites disguised as legitimate Microsoft website that steal account credentials.
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Here is another scam: "From: Hotmail team Sent: 08 November 2016 10:34 Subject: Microsoft Updates Term of Uses and Privacy Policy Statement. Outlook Your Account Will be Blocked Dear User, We are contacting you to inform you that our Microsoft Account Review Team identified some unusual errors in your Microsoft account profile. This may be due to the following Using a shared computer to access your Microsoft Outlook account. Logging in your Microsoft Outlook account from blacklisted IP Not logging off your Microsoft Outlook account after usage. In order to safeguard your account, we require that you confirm your Outlook Account Access the following link to complete the verification of your Outlook Account. Click Here To Verify Your Account Thanks, Microsoft ID Customer Support Copyright 2016 Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Service, Microsoft Account Team."
