The email message below with the subject "Important Security Information for Outlook User" is a phishing scam. The fake email message which claims the recipients need to reactivate their accounts because their accounts have been deactivated because they failed a security process is being sent by cybercriminals. It 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.
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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 "Important Security Information for Outlook User" Phishing Scam
From: "microsoft.com protection" <verify-do-not-replyhi@outlook.com>
Date: 01/05/2017 9:32 am (GMT+00:00)
To: live@e.microsoft.com
Subject: Important Security Information for Outlook Users
Microsoft account
Security alert
Due to the new security policy as directed by Microsoft,
your account failed the security process and is open to malwares and has just been De-activated.
To re-activate kindly click below or click here to ignore .
Re-activate Email
Thank you for using Microsoft services.
© 2017 Microsoft Services Agreement and privacy and cookies statement
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 steals account credentials.
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