Have you recently received an email that looks like this?
This is a perfect example of a “phishing” email. They’re trying to convince you that “There’s something wrong with your Microsoft account, and OMG PLEASE CLICK ON THAT LINK”. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice a few things that can warn you that this isn’t a legitimate email, but a scam.
First, look at the “From” field. “Micro-Outlook Info” is not Microsoft. The kgiridharan (at) hotmail.com is also a warning sign. A legitimate email will come from a microsoft.com email address.
Second, look at the message. The grammar is poor, and there is some very clumsy phrasing. Microsofts emails generally go through several rounds of proofreading that would catch obvious errors like “your Microsoft account requires update” and “if an update responds is not gotten from you”.
Third, and the most obvious tell, is that if you hover your link over the button, it doesn’t even go to Microsoft, it links to trafficcables (dot) com. Obviously not Microsoft.
If you get one of these emails, or ANY email that concerns you, go to your browser and directly type in the name of the site you want to check on. Outlook.com, bankofamerica.com, amazon.com, etc. If they want you to click a link to “update your information”, don’t. Go there directly and check your account to be sure.
I hope this helps someone avoid this trap and stay safe!
