There is no such thing as "world email server" that's controlled by Microsoft

Aug 13, 2012 13:47 GMT  ·  By

If you own an account with Microsoft, you should definitely be on the lookout for these spam emails. They purport to come from the Redmond company and they warn recipients that they must validate their accounts.

“As part of the security measures to secure all email users across the world, All email users are mandated to have their account details registered as requested by the Microsoft Cyber-crime Dept ( M C D ),” reads the email entitled Microsoft Cyber-crime Dept validate your account.

“You are here by required to validate your account within 24 hours so as not to have your email account suspended and deleted from the world email server. Kindly validate your email account to have your account registered, follow d link below: [Link],” it continues.

To make it more legitimate-looking, the logo of Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit has been embedded into the notification.

However, no one should be fooled by the logo. The fact that it’s so poorly written clearly indicates that this is nothing more than a malicious scam that’s designed to steal the usernames and passwords of unsuspecting internauts.

When users click on the link, they’re taken to a bogus website that’s designed to collect sensitive information and send it back to the attackers, Hoax Slayer reports.

As Brett Christensen highlights, there is no such thing as the “world email server.” Furthermore, Microsoft would never start suspending random accounts without a very good reason.

Also, the company’s cybercrime unit is not a supreme force that needs to “secure” all email accounts, including the ones of other vendors.

So, be sure to ignore such emails. It shouldn’t matter how legitimate they look, the number of threats they make, or the name of the company that’s allegedly behind them. Until further notice, you should remember that if they look ludicrous, they’re probably just part of a scam.