Phishing E-mail Scam Targets Users of Outlook.com, says Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes the cyber-security company has said that one offensive phishing e-mail scam is presently aiming at subscribers of Outlook.com thus possibly disturbing the total 400m people who're regular users of the non-chargeable electronic mail service.

It (Security Company) actually alerts users to one fake e-mail which posing as communication from Microsoft admonishes that their accounts would be disabled till of course they confirm their accounts' details. The message also provides a web-link that takes the victims onto one fraudulent site which captures those details.

Addressing recipients as Microsoft Users, the said e-mail informs them that Microsoft has temporarily stopped messages from coming into their accounts, as dubious and spam operations have been detected on their mailboxes connected with certain blacklisted e-mail ids; hence, to keep the users safe they require confirming their account particulars.

The e-mail then warns that failure to make the confirmation within 24-hrs will compel Microsoft towards deactivating the accounts for good.

Now, when the web-link is clicked, users get diverted onto one phishing site which exactly imitates the genuine Outlook.com site, different from the poorly constructed sentences because of incorrect grammar which explains the scams' objective for grabbing logins.

Thus according to Malwarebytes' Malware Intelligence Analyst Christopher Boyd, users must treat any e-mail with suspicion if it directs for logging in alternatively providing personal information, particularly in case there's threat of suspending accounts else mention about irregular operation. Cbronline.com published this, January 15, 2015.

However, for lessening the phishing scams' impact, specialists suggest some tips. These are never to follow web-links else view attachments within suspect e-mails. Rather one should go to his Web-browser and enter the URL inside its address bar and then log into his account.

But incase the person has already followed the web-link in that situation he should alter his password instantly.

Meanwhile, miscreants abusing Outlook.com with phishing scams has happened previously too, like during March 2014, fraudulent electronic mails were spotted that posed as Microsoft Account Team messages while making an assertion for recipients to follow one web-link for taking their e-mail A/Cs towards an upgraded stage as also establishing Outlook Web Access.

» SPAMfighter News - 1/24/2015