Bogus “MS Cyber-Crime Department” warnings lead to phishing

Emails purportedly sent by the Microsoft Cyber-Crime Department warning all Internet users that their email account may be deleted from the “world email server” has been hitting inboxes around the world:

The phishers used the official logo of the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit in order to lend the email an aura of legitimacy.

Following the embedded email will take the victims to a page where they are asked to supply their email address, username and password. Unfortunately, the inputed information is sent directly to the phishers.

“Of course, any user with even a basic knowledge of computing and the Internet would quickly realize that, while Microsoft is certainly a large and powerful company, it has no jurisdiction whatsoever over email account holders that do not use Microsoft’s own email services,” says Hoax-Slayer. “It certainly does not hold any sort of mandate to request information from ‘all email users’ nor does it have any authority to delete accounts at random.”

He also points out that the existence of one “world email server” is an equally ludicrous claim. Still, he says, there are many users who are new to computers and the Internet and may be taken in by such claims.

“Scam attempts just as absurd as this still manage to reap new victims around the world every day,” he concludes.