The email message below with the subject: "You Are Violating the Terms And Conditions," which claims that due to our recent security updates for the year, all Outlook users are to verify and validate their accounts, is a phishing scam. The email message is being sent by cyber-criminals, whose intentions are to hijack their victims' email accounts and use them for malicious purposes. So, recipients of the same email message are advised not to follow the instructions in it.
The Phishing Outlook Scam
From: microsoft.team security haroon_waheed@hotmail.com
Subject: You are violating the "Terms and Conditions" Customer Care Support
Date: 20 March 2017 at 5:49:10 PM GMT+11
To: "no-reply@outlook.com" no-reply@outlook.com
Dear user
Due to our recent security updates for the year March 2017 00:28:50 -0500, security protection
All Outlook users are to verify and validate their accounts.
Your Account needs to be verified to confirm you are an active outlook user.
To avoid account deactivation, please follow the link below to validate your account.
A account@microsoftonline.com
You have less than 48HRS to complete.
Click the button below to continue using this service.
The link in the email message goes to a fake Hotmail, 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.
Recipients who have received the same email message are asked to go directly to their email account at www.outlook.com, instead of clicking on the links in the email message. If there is anything wrong with their accounts, it will be shown to them after signing into account.
And, recipients who have been tricked by the phishing emaill are asked to change their Microsoft Hotmail/Live/Outlook password immediately. And, if they are unable to, they should click here to report it to Microsoft.
This scam is similar to the following: