"Microsoft Outlook Email Service Interruption Services Agreement and Privacy Statement" Phishing Scam
Microsoft users who have received fake email messages like the one below, which claim they need to verify their Outlook accounts to avoid de-activation are asked to delete them. The fake email messages have been created by cyber criminals 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 cyber criminals 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 cyber criminals.
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 "Microsoft Outlook Email Service Interruption" Phishing Scam
From: Microsoft.com account team - Microsoft.com@accountteamline.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2017 6:43 AM
To: Microsoft.com account team
Subject: Email service interruption. ( Verify now do not ignore!)
Dear Outlook User.
As part of our effort to improve your experience across our consumer services, we’re updating the Microsoft Services Agreement and the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
Take a minute to verify your account for a faster, safer and full-featured Microsoft Outlook experience and to avoid your account being De-Activated, deleted from our server and you will no longer have access to many of the features for improved Conversations, contacts and attachments .
Verify Your Account
Thank you for using Microsoft services.
Microsoft Admin
Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, please read our Privacy statement
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98069
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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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.