"Microsoft Mail-Box Account will Shut Down Soon" Phishing Scams
Online users who have received "Mail-Box Account will Shut Down Soon" email messages like the one below, which claim that their email accounts will expire or mailbox will shutdown, should delete them. This is because the email messages are phishing scams being sent by cyber criminals to trick the recipients into clicking on the links in them that go to phishing websites that steal email account usernames and passwords.
The "Microsoft Mail-Box Account will Shut Down Soon" Phishing Scam
From: Security team Account - yamayu6412@hotmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2018 9:02:28 AM
To: account-security-noreply@accountprotection.microsoft.com
Subject: Mail-Box Account will shut down soon (Final warning verification alert)
Your Services Agreement and Privacy Statement made clearer
E-mail final warning verification alert
Our record indicates that your account is not updated, which may lead to the close down of your account.
If you don't update your account, you will not be able to send and receive emails again, and you will no longer have access to many of our latest features for improved Conversations, Contacts and Attachments.
Take a minute to update your account for a faster and full featured mail experience
Re-update your account
Note: Failure to update your account might lead to permanent suspension of your account.
Thanks,
The Security team.
If the links in the phishing email messages are clicked by the recipients, they will be taken to a phishing website and ask to sign-in. If they attempt to do so, their email account credentials (usernames and passwords) will be sent to the cybercriminals behind the scam. Once the cybercriminals have gotten the stolen credentials, they will gain access to the accounts, hijack them, and use them fraudulently.
Therefore, online users who have received email messages with a link to update their information or make changes to their accounts should always go directly to their email account provider's website and sign into their accounts instead of clicking on the link. Once online users have signed into their accounts, they will be noticed of changes or updates, if there are any. Going directly to their email provider's website and signing in from there is the only guaranteed way of preventing online users from becoming victims of phishing scams.
Online users who have already been tricked by the phishing scam are asked change their passwords immediately before their accounts are hijacked and used fraudulently. If their accounts have already been hijacked by cybercriminals they need to contact their email providers for help.
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.