"Microsoft Account Shutdown In Progress" Phishing Scam
The "Microsoft Account Shutdown In Progress" email alert below which claims that the recipients' accounts have been blacklisted and will be closed, is a phishing scam created to steal Microsoft usernames and passwords. The email message was not sent by Microsoft, but by cyber-criminals, whose intentions are to hijack email accounts and use them for malicious purposes. So, recipients of the same email message are advised to delete and do not follow the instructions in it.
The "Microsoft Account Shutdown In Progress" Phishing Scam
From: Microsoft.com MANAGEMENT - mflanigan1@hotmail.com
Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2019 3:00:21 AM
Subject: ✉ SHUTDOWN IN PROGRESS
Your email address has been included in the blacklist and also as an automatic spam sender, so it will be verified otherwise the email account will be permanently closed.
Use the button below to get your mail up to date instantly in 24 hours to show you are a human being, not a robot and continue using your account.
Update and verify your email address
Thank you,
Account security team
(c) 2019
(This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by Mail Scanner, and is believed to be clean and phishing free)
The link in the email message goes to a fake Outlook or Microsoft website, which will attempt to trick the cyber-criminals' 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, it will be sent to the cyber-criminals behind the email scam, who will use the information to hijack their accounts.
If you have received the same email message, please go directly to your email account instead of clicking on the links in the email message. And, if there is anything wrong with your account, it will be shown to you after signing in. 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.
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.