The email message below, which claims that a restriction has been placed on the recipients' email accounts since they have refused to upgrade their accounts, is a phishing scam being sent by cybercriminals to steal Microsoft Hotmail, Live or Outlook usernames and passwords. The fake email message tricks the recipients into visiting a phishing website where they will be asked to sign into their accounts, but any attempt to sign-in to the phishing website will result in their account credentials being sent to the cybercriminals behind the phishing email message.
A Sample of the "Final Email Upgrade Now" Phishing Email
From: Account Security <tmanoilova@hotmail.com>
Sent: August 8, 2017 5:22 AM
To: member_service@live.com
Subject: FINAL EMAIL UPGRADE!!
INTERNAL NOTICE
This is to notify you for the final time that we have stopped processing incoming emails on your account since you have refused to upgrade your account and we might be forced to lock up your account if this notice is ignored.
UPGRADE NOW
This restriction will be disabled intermediately we confirm upgrade successful.
Thanks
The email security team@2017
The link in the email message goes to a fake Microsoft Hotmail website, which will attempt to trick the 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, the information will be sent to the cyber-criminals behind the email scam, who will use the information to hijack the victims' accounts.
If you receive email messages like these, please go directly to your email account instead of clicking on the links in the email messages. If there is anything wrong with your account or something needs to be done to it, it will be shown to you after you have signed into your account. If you were tricked by one of these malicious phishing scams, please change your Hotmail, Live or Outlook immediately. If you are unable to, click here to report it to Microsoft.