Comments for Is Windows Live Hotmail about to close my account?

Comment from Mark J on 2011-11-26

2011-11-26T09:02:45Z

@Helen
The email which claims your email account will close is phishing spam which purports to come from Microsoft, but never goes through Microsoft's servers. So, Microsoft has no way of stopping these emails.
Why can't we catch spammers and phishers?

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Comment from Helen on 2011-11-25

2011-11-26T01:35:35Z

Hi Super Leo,

If this is a scam why doesn't msn do something about it? I'm a novice in computers & realised this can't be right, googled it & found your advice, thank you so much for the 'plain english' explanation.

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Comment from Mark J on 2011-09-27

2011-09-28T05:02:45Z

@Robin
As an English teacher, I can tell you that who is becoming accepted for use as an object. The apostrophe is a typo.

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Comment from Robin Clay on 2011-09-27

2011-09-27T22:56:52Z

[Sigh] I guess "they" have read your article pointing out where they went wrong...

Oh, and - on the subject of "bad English" - [coff, coff]
"another sign that whomever wrote this " is exactly that. "whom" (or "whomever") is the object. In THIS case you should have used "whoever", as the subject.

Correct useage would be, e.g., "I can send it to whomever I want", where "I" is the subject of "want".

If followed by a verb, it should be "who", if by a noun, "whom".

"Whoever" and "whomever" likewise.

Oh, and - in the next sentence - "It's point is to fool you.. ", the apostrophe indicates a missing letter, here, "it is", which is obviously wrong. The possessive is "its", as this should have been.

Hey, Leo ! You've been reading too many of these phishing scams ! You're picking up bad habits ;-)

Erm... is this sufficient evidence that I read your article ? ;-)

Please don't take this to mean I don't appreciate your sensible advice ! For which I thank you, once more.

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Comment from Mark J on 2011-07-08

2011-07-08T08:09:32Z

@Augustin
This is the same scam mentioned in the article. Ignore it!

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Comment from agustin on 2011-07-07

2011-07-07T23:47:35Z

i am Argentine and friends get me this, written in English, excuse my spelling errors

HOTMAIL ACCOUNT CLOSURE ALERT™‏

05/07/2011
Responder ▼
Windows Live™ Team
Agregar a contactos

Los datos adjuntos, las imágenes y los vínculos de este mensaje se han bloqueado por motivos de seguridad.
Mostrar el contenido | Mostrar siempre contenido de mujahidsyed47@hotmail.com

Add Contacts | Explore Windows Live | Edit Profile

Dear Account User,

You are advise to verify your account details below to enable us upgrade your account. E.G Your Hotmail ID, Password, Date Of Birth etc.

In failure of doing this, you will Automatically lose your Hotmail Account.

Thanks for using Hotmail

Account Alert

VERIFY YOUR HOTMAIL ACCOUNT NOW TO AVOID CLOSE !!!

Dear Account User,
This message is from Hotmail message center to all hotmail account owners and premium account owners. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail account center. We are deleting all unused Hotmail account to create more space for new accounts.

To prevent your account from closing, you will have to verify it below before One (1) Week from now!

VERIFY YOUR HOTMAIL ACCOUNT NOW TO AVOID CLOSE !!!

Hotmail ID:.................................

Password:...........................

Your Birthday:........................

Your Country or Territory:....................

Warning!!! Account owner that refuses to update his or her account before One week of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.

Sincerely,
The Windows Live Team

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Comment from jonathan wulwick on 2011-04-28

2011-04-29T05:13:04Z

{This is an example of a scam email this commenter received}

Windows Live Email Alert Confirmation®
The efficient way to do e-mail

DEAR ACCOUNT USER,

Windows Live Hotmail® is faster and safer than ever before and filled with new ways to stay in touch. Storage space that grows with you means you shouldn't have to worry about deleting your e-mail, and the new calendar makes it easy to share your schedule with family and friends.

Due to congestion in all Windows Live Hotmail email accounts caused by over 10 million inactive email accounts, there will be a phased deactivation of all inactive Hotmail® accounts: We will be shutting down all inactive accounts. You will need to confirm your E-mail by filling out your log-in information below after clicking the reply button, or your account will be suspended within 24 hours for security reasons. To do this, please click your reply button, fill in the required information and send

* User Name:
* Password:
* Date of Birth:
* Country Or Territory

YOUR DETAILS WILL NOT BE SHARED.

We'll keep working on making Windows Live! the best email service around, and we appreciate your joining us for the ride.

After following the instructions in the sheet, your account will not be interrupted and will continue as normal. Thanks for your attention to this request. We apologize for any inconveniences.

Warning!!! Account owners who refuse to update their accounts after two weeks of receiving this warning will lose their accounts permanently.

Sincerely,
The Windows Live Hotmail Team

* Take your e-mails on the road. Go mobile
* Chat with your Messenger friends from your inbox or download Messenger

Microsoft respects your privacy. Please read our online Privacy Statement.
Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA © 2011 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

wow they are really getting better at it this one almost got me thanks for your help

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Comment from Sheila Lindsay on 2011-04-20

2011-04-20T19:57:27Z

Leo, thank you so much for your postings, as I do appreciate them. It looks like they are becoming more and more savy with their scam approach, the email I received was very well worded and even included a signature of I suppose the head of the WindowsLive Team.

Account Alert™(Unique ID: N002629AC843WM162)‏
4/19/11
Reply ▼Reply
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Hide details Windows Live™ Team Add to contacts
From: Windows Live™ Team ({removed}@hotmail.com)
Sent: Tue 4/19/11 7:26 AM
To:

Always show content from {removed}@hotmail.com

Microsoft® respects your privacy. Please read Carefully.

Dear Account Owner,

This Email is from Msn-Live-Hotmail Customer Care™ and we are sending it to all Msn-Live-Hotmail Accounts Owner for safety. We are having congestion due to the anonymous registration of Msn-Live-Hotmail accounts so we are shutting down some Msn-Live-Hotmail accounts and your account is among those to be deactivated. We are sending this email to you so that you can verify and let us know if this account is still valid? If it is,The following information is needed to verify your account: Your User name, password, date of birth and your country information.
Click on the reply button and fill in your information:

Full Name:

User Name:

Password:

Date of Birth:
Country:

Characters:

Enter the 8 characters that you see

After following the above instructions your account will not be interrupted and will continue as normal. Thanks for your attention to this effect. We apologize for any inconveniences.

Warning!!! Account owner's that refuses to update there account after three days of receiving
this warning will lose the account permanently.

NOTE: Click Reply To Fill in Required Information

Sincerely,

Steve Craddock

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Comment from Malcolm Bowen on 2010-12-23

2010-12-23T14:20:06Z

A friend /contact of mine fell for this scam and had her account and idenity stolen and all her contacts e-mail addresses were in the hands of the scamers.
I have this Windows Live Hotmail about to close your account several times and regular scam mails from most banks, Pay Pal, Inland revenue etc since her account was Hi Jacked. My bank is clear in advising that on no account would they ever e-mail me about anything in regards to my account and would only contact me by posted mail if they needed to contact me, or by phone inviting me to call in to my branch.
They would never ask for any details about my account unless I phoned them.
It is worth a mention that if a persons account is hi jacked one account could give a scamer hundreds of names and addresses and for this reason always delete previous addresses and use B.C.C when forwarding a e-mail.

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Comment from Helena on 2010-08-25

2010-08-26T00:01:29Z

The second example of a hotmail phishing scam is exactly what I got, and I was suspicious from the start, even the email was an email I could've made. So I just deleted the email right away, I didnt reply, nothing. Just deleted it.
The next day I couldn't log in at all. I still doubted that hotmail actually disabled my account, so I asked a bunch of friends if their hotmail still works, and all of them said yes.

So why can't I log in when I ignored that email?

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Comment from Gisele on 2010-07-14

2010-07-14T16:58:15Z

Ok, I was really tired and taking medication so I did not pay enough attention. The e-mail seemed legit, the @microsoft and return address again looked legit. I was really concerned that my account would be closed so I went ahead and sent them the information. I should have known better, now that I think about it this would be the same scheme people would use to get your bank account and I would NEVER give them that information. So now I have a big problem. I no longer have access to my e-mail account and there is no way to contact Microsoft/hotmail that I'm aware of. Is there any way to recover my hotmail account? If not, how to I close it?

There are several articles on the site discussing your options. Here's the latest: How do I get Hotmail to close my stolen account?

15-Jul-2010

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Comment from ustad_rahat edama darad on 2010-06-05

2010-06-05T14:12:08Z

because i wrote wrong name thats why i have to close my emil

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Comment from centriohost.com on 2010-05-29

2010-05-29T20:53:06Z

They also mailed be @ my mailbox. Those are spoof mail. Stay away from those fake mails.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tomy

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Comment from chris on 2010-05-12

2010-05-12T20:45:00Z

i was in greece for 2 weeks on holiday, i was staying with relives. A greek girl i was with got this email and thought it was real, luckaly she asked me befor sending her info. people who are not english fall for this even more...

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Comment from j davis on 2010-05-01

2010-05-01T14:36:31Z

As usual Leo has it right. I have been getting these emails for quite some time. I right click on the message and get the 'view source' information and send to to Hotmail. They have been very proactive in closing down the email accounts associated with this phishing scam. Everyone who receives one of these emails should report it--tis quick and easy.

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Comment from Robb Smith on 2010-04-10

2010-04-10T15:52:48Z

I,m getting a "verify the account" message so that
I cannot SEND any e~mails now! How do I veryfy?!

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Comment from Charlene on 2010-03-06

2010-03-06T12:59:03Z

Thanks a mil Leo!
I received that stupid bogus email telling me to 'verify my hotmail account' from a ***_*** @ hotmail . co . uk & the 'reply' addy was
w i n d o w s l i v e h 01 @ gmail . com! I immediately went into the legit Windows & Hotmail sites to report them.
In addition, I sent the 'phishers' a very very nasty email (couldn't help myself!)
Gosh, can u believe the audacity & downright cheek of these people!
Thanks for all your help & a gr8 site! :-)

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Comment from Ian Darby on 2010-01-31

2010-01-31T15:37:36Z

The convoluted English used gives me the impression that it comes from Nigeria, e.g., "we would be shutting down all unused Accounts".

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Comment from jacquie balois on 2010-01-13

2010-01-13T17:03:44Z

I feel victim by answering the scam, now all my contacts are receiveing emails that I am at a conference in england and lost my money please send money. I can not access my account or change my password.

That is correct. Your account is most likely gone forever. Read this article: Hotmail says my password is incorrect, but I know it's right. What do I do?

14-Jan-2010

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Comment from William Govan on 2009-12-18

2009-12-19T03:37:28Z

I know my password but I can't open my email. It
seems that microsoft does not recognize my email
address. I have been using for two tears. What is the problem?

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Comment from Alex on 2009-09-14

2009-09-14T16:31:11Z

I cannot believe that anyone, even a new computer user (luser) could be so naive that they would even begin to think that this is a legit email. Just goes to show.
How does grammar come into this? Grammar is a false construct, attempting to rigidly control that which is by nature fluid and changeable. All languages change with use, and their grammar changes also.

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Comment from fran on 2009-09-12

2009-09-12T17:21:03Z

I get these often, but there are times i'd like to answer these 'nut's by entering all false information. That would give them something else to do.. but I don't do it..
thanks anyway
fran

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Comment from johnpro on 2009-09-12

2009-09-12T12:31:37Z

Yes , a lesson in English grammar as well as scamming this week.

Even so, would Americans do much better trying to scam Africans,Russians or Chinese..?

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Comment from Drew on 2009-09-11

2009-09-11T23:48:21Z

Microsoft is not immune to grammatical idiocy either. The one we all see all the time, and that grates on me every time I see it,is on the Control Panel Add/Remove Programs application; i.e., "Please wait while the list is being populated." It's either "Please wait -- the list is being populated" or "Please wait while the list is populated." Also, "populated" is kind of a weird term to apply to something that's not a physical place being occupied by a certain number of animals or something at least organic.

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Comment from XP Guest Account Acting Like Win2K Guest Account on 2009-09-09

2009-09-10T05:21:18Z

this one comment gave me a good laugh;

How many "phisherman" do you suppose are reading and correcting their "phishing" style using your examples?

Based on history, I'd say ZERO. I'm certainly not the first to have explained it in such detail and it's still coming on strong.

Leo
09-Sep-2009

Posted by: Pat Van Dusseldorp at September 8, 2009 10:08 AM

I'd have to agree with Leo here, because most of the scams that are sent out by "phishermen" are usually a cut / copy & paste job, into the new scam email, and just slightly modified to fit the new scam, be it your hotmail, or gmail, yahoo mail, etc. accounts
or the:
"pleas send me your bank account info so I can depost $1m US into;"
scams

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Comment from sirpaul1 on 2009-09-08

2009-09-09T06:36:20Z

If you just want to dis Leo's use of English, maybe you've just been phished. :-) (Sure, official emails often have occasional mistakes; it happens.) Picky, picky, picky!

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Comment from Mark on 2009-09-08

2009-09-09T00:03:19Z

One other reaction I get from my supportees when they get an email or pop-up ad like this is "OMG I have a virus I can't use ma computer anymore until it's cleaned up*

As for Leo's grammar. Cut him some slack. So what if he's got a terminal grammar condition. He's a techie not a grammar geek.

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Comment from Norbert Gruberger on 2009-09-08

2009-09-08T23:03:55Z

"whomever wrote this"???
just goes to prove that grammar mistakes are not always proof of a scam

Of course not. I wouldn't claim to write English perfectly (which keeps many nitpicks quite happy ;-) - my point is the sheer quantity and severity of the horrible English in the scam. PLEASE don't let my minor mistakes, which are inevitable, get in the way of understanding that point.

09-Sep-2009

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Comment from Lynn Hancock on 2009-09-08

2009-09-08T22:54:39Z

"...whomever wrote this didn't really know what they were doing"? Try "whoever". "Whomever" is accusative case (the object of the clause), whereas in this case the usage is nominative case (the subject of the clause) and "whoever" is appropriate. But at least it is not as bad as the common mis-usage where "whoever" (also "who") is used as BOTH subject and object!

You only have to read forums (not this one :-) to see that the general standard of English usage is appalling. So many recipients of this type of spam probably would not appreciate the grammatical points you make in this article. And for many recipients, English would not be their first language, and they might think that the spam is actually good English!

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Comment from Pat Van Dusseldorp on 2009-09-08

2009-09-08T17:08:36Z

How many "phisherman" do you suppose are reading and correcting their "phishing" style using your examples?

Based on history, I'd say ZERO. I'm certainly not the first to have explained it in such detail and it's still coming on strong.

09-Sep-2009

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Comment from eized on 2009-09-08

2009-09-08T12:59:48Z

What about those three exclamation points? EH??? :-)

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Comment from Lee on 2009-09-07

2009-09-08T01:49:09Z

Hi Leo,

I too am amazed at how easily people fall for these scams. They are so obviously not legitmate, especially the example you have here. I have seen some very good attempts at phishing attacks that have fooled staff in my company and I have tried my best to educate peoeple that bascially a big company will not email you for this type of information ever, but people get scared by the threat so easily. All they need to do is contact the company itself to verify if the email is legitimate before they hastily hit reply. i think as a rule if any email has a threatening consequence if you don't do what it says then that should be alarm bells anyway.

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Comment from zip on 2009-09-07

2009-09-07T13:11:21Z

Leo.. teach me English.. :)

As many of my regular readers will be quick to point out, I'm far from the best English teacher.

07-Sep-2009

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