Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.
The fake email message below which claims that the recipients' Office365 email will be terminated is a phishing scam created by cybercriminals to steal Microsoft Outlook or Hotmail usernames and passwords. The cybercriminals aim is to trick their potential victims into clicking the link in the email which goes a phishing website. The phishing website will ask visitors to sign-in, but any attempts to sign-in will result in the visitors' account credentials sent to the cybercriminals.
Once the cybercriminals have received the stolen credentials, they will use it to their potential victims' Office 365 accounts and use them maliciously or fraudulently. So, recipients of the same email message are advised to delete it, and not follow the instructions in it.
From: "IT Center" <akosuri@wisc.edu>Date: August 24, 2018 at 5:08:34 AM CDTSubject: AlertOffice 365A Notice from UWC IT CenterOur record indicates that you recently made a request to terminate your Office365 email. This process has begun by our administrator.If this request was made accidentally and you have no knowledge of it, you are advised to cancel the request now.Please give us 24 hours to terminate your account, ORSign in here to cancel terminationFailure to cancel termination will result to closure of your account.Thank you.
From: "IT Center" <akosuri@wisc.edu>
Date: August 24, 2018 at 5:08:34 AM CDT
Subject: Alert
Office 365
A Notice from UWC IT Center
Our record indicates that you recently made a request to terminate your Office365 email. This process has begun by our administrator.
If this request was made accidentally and you have no knowledge of it, you are advised to cancel the request now.
Please give us 24 hours to terminate your account, OR
Sign in here to cancel termination
Failure to cancel termination will result to closure of your account.
Thank you.
If you were tricked by the phishing email, please change your Microsoft Hotmail/Live/Outlook immediately. If you are unable to, click here to report it to Microsoft.
Check the comment section below for answers or additional information. Share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below.
Online Threat Alerts (OTA) is not affiliated with or endorsed by any trademark owner mentioned in this article. Some of the information in samples in this article may have been impersonated or spoofed.
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[In reply] I am using a school account, therefore I cannot change the password. Also, do you know if this scam will insert a virus into my PC? (please hurry in your response!)
No, it will not insert a virus into your PC.It is a phishing scam that steals usernames and passwords and use them to gain access to your email or other online accounts. Once the cybercriminals have gained access to the online accounts using the stolen usernames and passwords, they will use the online accounts fraudulently or maliciously. They may read your sensitive information, use your account to send spam, phishing or malicious emails.
What should I do if I have accidentally already posted my username and password to the site and there is no effect that has taken place yet?
Change your passwords.
I can't, it's a school account.
Ask your school's IT administrator do it for you.
Here is another scam:-------- Forwarded Message --------Subject: AlertDate: Sun, 2 Sep 2018 10:41:00 -0500From: Wisc IT Center **A Notice from Wisc IT CenterOur record indicates that you recently made a request to terminate yourOffice365 email. This process has begun by our administrator.If this request was made accidentally and you have no knowledge of it, youare advised to cancel the request now.Please give us 24 hours to terminate your account, OR*__**_Sign in here to cancel termination_*Failure to cancel termination will result to closure of your accountThank you.