"Microsoft Account Unusual Sign-in" Phishing Scam

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Updated: Sep. 22, 2017 2017-09-22T12:20:58
Posted: Sep. 22, 2017 2017-09-22T12:08:54
Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Outlook users, please delete email messages like the one below which claim that your email accounts will be blocked from sending and receiving emails if you do not confirm within 24 hours. This is because the email messages are being sent by cybercriminals to frighten and trick the recipients into clicking on the link within them, by claiming they need to do so in order to prevent deactivation. But, the link goes to a phishing website or a fake website looking like Microsoft’s website, created by the same 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 phishing or fake website will result in the victims’ Microsoft account usernames and passwords being sent to the cybercriminals.

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 Account Unusual Sign-in" Phishing Scam

From: Microsoft.account team <amani.alhebshi@hotmail.com>

Sent: Friday, September 22, 2017 10:48 AM

To: Microsoft.account team

Subject: Re: Unsual Sign-in

You would be blocked from sending and receiving emails if not confirmed within 24 hours of receiving this automated mail.

You are required to update through the link below.

UPDATE

Thanks for using Hotmail!

Hotmail Team.

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 steal account credentials.