Mississippi Attorney General Warns of Hotmail Phishing Scam

As per the news published on WAPT on December 22, 2009, Attorney General 'Jim Hood' (Mississippi, US) has asked people to be careful of a new phishing scam posing as an e-mail from Hotmail.

The phishing scam addressed to users and states that Hotmail has come across a serious problem with its database and several of its records have been lost. The e-mail further states that the e-mail providing company is restoring database to serve its users better. Thus, the users are requested to give details of their Windows Live! Accounts so that they continue to access their accounts uninterruptedly. Failure to follow the instructions will lead to the termination of accounts permanently, said the e-mail.

The phishing mail asks the users to reveal information such as name, country or territory, username, password and date of birth,.

To make it look authentic and legitimate, the users are informed that their information will not be shared with anyone. The scam mail also adds that the users have often said Hotmail that more they use Windows Live! Service, they find even more of its benefits. The Company will work on making Windows Live! Service the finest email service and welcome users' participation.

Hood has claimed that these cyber attackers will not stop their phishing scams. He also asks the users to be very careful while replying to a request for any of private details through mail, as per the reports by WAPT on December 22, 2009.

To report about the scam, Mississippians are advised to forward the mail to the Attorney General's office or contact their help desk numbers to file a report. Mississippians are also asked to call their lawmakers and encourage them to support this legislation.

As per the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), it is because of phishing scams like these that caused roughly ten million Americans lose their identity stolen every year. It is also due to more online business and storage of personal data on systems, the danger of fraud rises exponentially with every passing year, a prime reason for strengthening and sustaining security experts' efforts to take battle to extreme limits.

Related article: McAfee Alerts Windows about Accessibility Hole in Vista

» SPAMfighter News - 1/2/2010