Can I trust this Hotmail message?
By jazzsue58
@jazzsue58 (2666)
September 25, 2011 8:50pm CST
Got a suspicious entry in my mailbox today. Sent from ong_stephanie5@hotmail.com, supposedly of "Windows live customer care.", it's entitled "Account Alert". Here's the message: ?
Dear Valued Member
This message is from our data base center to all free Hot mail account owners. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail account center. We are deleting all unused accounts to create more space for new accounts. To prevent your account from closing, you will have to update it below so we will know that it's a presently used account. To do this, You have to click on your reply button to reply back to this message and then you fill the information below.
It then asks for:
* User name : ………………………..
* Password: ………………………….
* Date of Birth: ………………………
* Country Or Territory: ……………
Followed by a captcha code.
Is this for real? My account is constantly active, so I can't see how they can't see it's a "presently used account." Plus I'm very suspicious of who ong_stephanie5 might be. Surely such a post would be from Hotmail admin, not a privately used account? And I know damn well captcha is used for nefarious reasons.
I'm emailing Hotmail admin and treating this as suspicious. What do you think? Anyone else had one of these?
1 person likes this
12 responses
@derlilaStern (1756)
• United States
26 Sep 11
That is definitely a phishing email!!! No legitimate company ever asks for your password in an email like that.
Unfortunately, I doubt that hotmail will be able to do anything about it. The people who create those emails use so many different email accounts so quickly, they they cant possibly shut them all down! 
Im just glad that you were smart enough not to give them your information!
Im just glad that you were smart enough not to give them your information!
@tcup345 (358)
• United States
26 Sep 11
It's a hoax, I've recieved the same message, several times from several different senders. They want your password and the like for their own illegal reasons. I forward these messages to abuse@hotmail.com so they can trace the message and, hopefully, put a stop to them.
1 person likes this
@tcup345 (358)
• United States
26 Sep 11
I think the trouble is exactly as you mentioned, internet cafes, most likely from a foreign country. I've recieved about 5 of these messages, it seems they've stopped for awhile, I sent all of them on to hotmail. I get aggreviated to think that those thieves think I am so stupid as to fall for their scams. Unfortunately the less wary do fall for them and pay the price. Too bad those thieves don't use their knowledge to help people rather than trying to raid our pockets.
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
26 Sep 11
I've done the same. Trouble is, "Steph" will just reappear under a different persona. WHY can't hotmail track them to their IP address? Ah - Lagos internet cafes, gotcha.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
26 Sep 11
Standard, phishing scam it appears. An old trick but one that still oddly enough works with a lot of people. There are going to be many people who are going to pull this one from time to time. It is pure scare tactics at its most base, very finest level. And there are going to be many people who are going to fall for it, because e-mails seem legit.
And this one does seem a bit shaky at that, but there are many others who really do a good job at masking their true intentions. No one will ask for your personal information, for no reason. I had one from Yahoo about a month back. I'd given them credit for doing a good job in making it look perfectly legit, but it is just absolutely a fraud all things considered.
1 person likes this
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
26 Sep 11
Oh don't worry, I was on the case straight away. Enjoying myself filling up her in box with Nigerian Letters from my junk folder at present.
My kids are doing the same. Should keep our Steph out of mischief for a while!
@Angelee_27 (3460)
• United States
26 Sep 11
I would definitely contact Hotmail admin directly and ask them about this email you received.
The name that the email was sent from doesn't sound very legitimate or professional. It could be someone trying to scam people into giving their log in info so they can steal your email account.
1 person likes this
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
26 Sep 11
I realised it was a scam the moment I saw my in box. Deleted it as phishing scam straight away. Just wish Hotmail would make it easier to get in contact.
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
26 Sep 11
I'm a bit short of work right now, as my sub-editor is on vacation, so I'm busying myself sending Steph the contents of my junk folder - all those people, asking to send her money! She really should not have used a private email address. Tooooo easy.
1 person likes this
That's really awesome! Make her learn a lesson or two!!!!
@best2011 (210)
•
26 Sep 11
its a spam dude !!! my brother also got the same message but because he is a progrmmer he knew it .. so dont open it .. the yahoo or hotmail mail will never ask you to update you profile thorugh the mail .. even is they send you email then they tell you that dont reply .. so better be careful and dont reply it .. check yourself your profile and if you want to update then go ahead yourself ..not thru email
1 person likes this
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
26 Sep 11
Must admit I opened the message even though I knew it was a scam. I marked it as such and it deleted. But I bet Hotmail don't police these as they should. Thanks for the post!
@rosdimy (3926)
• Malaysia
26 Sep 11
Look at the email address of the sender. Microsoft Corporation and other reputable big companies would not use a web-based email service, even the one provided by them. It should be something like this - 'support@ nameofcompany.com'
Second point is they already have a user database, so there is no need for them to ask.
Third point is that they address users by name.
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
26 Sep 11
Exactly. Even as I was typing this topic post I was thinking: Why am I even doing this. I'm just so angry that others might get duped. And you know what? That was probably some poor dupe who got pulled into offering their services at a dollar an hour somewhere like Freelance.com. THAT'S where the mods of Hotmail should be looking for the heads of these criminal gangs. The IT home-worker recruitment pages.
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
26 Sep 11
It's nothing more than one of those phishing email that wants to steal your personal information and identity, just ignore and delete 
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
26 Sep 11
I marked it as phishing. But the fact I had to open it to do so makes me feel Hotmail seriously need to improve the way we contact them to make them aware of this.
@Felixz (30)
• China
26 Sep 11
It's definitely spam mail to cheat you to give your account password. First, looking at the source mail address ong_stephanie5@hotmail.com, it's more likely be a personal mail address. The mail address that hotmail or other web sites used to send their alerts or notification are seem to be more official, like alerts@hotmail.com are more formal looking than this ong_stephanie5 one. And second, those sites won't ask you password according e-mail. If it does, it must be from somebody else who wants to know your password, not from the admin.
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
26 Sep 11
Exactly! But I'd bet Stephanie is just some poor sucker who thought they'd scored lucky landing an "1000 emails for a dollar an hour" job. I'd put money on it.
@rdmcollamat (176)
• Philippines
26 Sep 11
Anything asking for username and password is never good. Don't send any sensitive info to somebody you don't know.
@varier (5685)
• Indonesia
26 Sep 11
Like everyone said above, it is only a phishing email. They try to steal your personal information and passwords, and it has nothing to do with Hotmail itself. They just trick you. Ignore the email and delete it.
There's no legitimate company that asks its members' password for whatever reasons by just sending an email and hoping for the reply. If they are really a legitimate company, they will found a smarter way, better than that. Oops, maybe I was wrong. If they are really a legitimate company, they will never ask for its members' password!
Just be more careful. There are a lot of bad people around internet world ... 
