This email, which was supposedly sent by Microsoft, warns that your Outlook account has been suspended due to a security issue.
It claims that you can lift the account restrictions by clicking a link to confirm your email address and login details.
However, the email has no connection to Microsoft or Outlook and your account has not been suspended as claimed.
The email is a phishing scam designed to steal your account login information.
If you fall for the trick and click the link, a fake Microsoft-branded website will load in your browser. A form on the site will ask you to sign in with your Microsoft Account email address and password. After entering the information, you may be redirected to a genuine Microsoft website.
But, now, the crooks can collect the information you provided and use it to hijack your Microsoft Account. Your account login will likely allow access to several linked services including email, Skype, OneDrive, and Office 365.
Once they have gained access, the crooks can use these services to launch spam and scam campaigns, collect and steal your personal information, and conduct fraudulent transactions and activities in your name.
There are many variations of these email account phishing scams. Be very cautious of any message that claims that there is a problem with your account and demands that you click a link to deal with it.
It is always better to login to your online accounts by typing the service’s website address into your browser’s address bar or via a trusted app.
A screenshot of the scam email:
Transcript of the scam email:
Subject: Microsoft Security Issue
Outlook Security Issue
Dear (email address removed),
We are writing to alert you that your outlook account has been suspended. To remove any restrictions, you need to confirm your email address and log-in using the following link.
Confirm your account
© 2020 Outlook. All Rights Reserved
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
