Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

"Outlook Upgrade Now to the Newest Version" Phishing Scam
Outlook Upgrade Now to the Newest Version Phishing Scam

Microsoft Outlook users who have the received the "Outlook Upgrade Now to the Newest Version" email below, which claims that they need to upgrade to a new version to avoid deactivation, are asked to delete it. The email is a fake and is being sent by cybercriminals to bait potential victims into clicking on the link in it. The link goes to a fake Microsoft Outlook website that steals email account credentials if visitors attempt to sign-in.

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 "Outlook Upgrade Now to the Newest Version" Phishing Scam

From: Email Security Alert scainslie@outlook.com

Sent: Friday, April 12, 2019 8:58 AM

To: member.service_@outlook.com

Subject: General Statement Update!

Dear Users,

We are closing all old version of Your Mail-box as from today April. (12th). Tap below to get a more organized mailbox to avoid being deactivated.

UPGRADE NOW TO THE NEWEST VERSION

Thank You.

Mail support

Microsoft Outlook users should never click on a link to sign into their accounts, they should instead, go directly to https://www.outlook.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 steals account credentials.

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