The email message below, which claims the recipients' Microsoft accounts need to be validated or updated, is a phishing scam being sent by cyber criminals to steal Microsoft Hotmail, Live or Outlook user names 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 cyber criminals behind the phishing email message.
A Sample of the "Microsoft Account Validation" Phishing Email
From: Microsoft.com account team <members_update07@outlook.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 9, 2017 6:12 AM
To: Microsoft.com account team
Subject: Your account is still not updated, Please validate now!
Dear valued customer,
To continue sending messages, please sign in here to validate your Outlook.com account.
This helps us stop automated programs from sending junk email.
Thanks for using Microsoft services!
The Outlook.com Team
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 cybercriminals 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.