Scam of the day – July 11, 2021 – Microsoft Service Agreement Phishing Email

by | Jul 10, 2021 | Scam of the day

I have heard from a number of Scamicide readers about today’s Scam of the day.  It is another version of a Microsoft phishing email I described last May.  It has several variations, but it generally involves an email that appears to come from Microsoft in which the targeted victim is told, as in the email copied below that he or she must update their account in order to keep it active or that Microsoft has changed the terms of their service agreement and provides links to get more information. The best scams have a kernel of truth and the kernel of truth in this scam is that Microsoft did indeed change the terms of its service agreement on June 15th.  However the prudent action to take is not to click on the links in the email for further information or to update, but go directly to Microsoft at this link for more information. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement/upcoming.aspx

 

Microsoft Service Agreement 2021  

Click Here to update

NOTE:   This is a one-time user verification  carried out in purpose to provide a more  secure platform and shut down  robot or malicious users created for the purpose of spamming and other fraudulent  activities. 

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TIPS
The first indication that this is a scam is that the email address from which it was sent had absolutely nothing to do with Microsoft. It most likely is the email address of someone whose email account was hacked and made a part of a botnet to send out these phishing emails.   According to Microsoft, emails to you pertaining to your account will always end with @accountprotection.microsoft.com. Another indication that this is a scam is the stilted language and incorrect grammar used, such as in the phrase “carried out in purpose.”  Scams originating in countries where English is not the primary language will often contain spelling and grammatical errors.

For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.”  Scamicide has been cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related scams.

If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is to go to the bottom of the initial page of http://www.scamicide.com and type in your email address in the tab that states “Sign up for this blog.”