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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

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I wondered if anyone else has received this email:

We detected something unusual about a recent sign-in for the Microsoft account *******@gmail.com. For example, you might be signing in from a new location, device, or app.
To help keep you safe, we've blocked access to your inbox, contacts list, and calendar for that sign-in. Please review your recent activity and we'll help you secure your account. To regain access, you'll need to confirm that the recent activity was yours.
[link to "Verify Account Activity"]
Thanks,
The Microsoft account team




I've verified it's from a Microsoft email address. But there's no way to find out what the "unusual activity" is, unless I click the Verify Account Activity link and sign in to my Microsoft account. The link just goes to account.microsoft.com/activity and asks me to sign in to my MS account.

But I never had a Microsoft account ... And note that the partial email address is my *gmail* address - not a MS address.

Has anyone else received the email above about "unusual sign-in for your Microsoft account? There are hundreds of questions about this on various MS and non-MS forums. None of course are given any logical answer.

Thanks.
Tom M.
 
Just garden-variety phishing.
 
Boink said:
Just garden-variety phishing.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought at first. But since I've verified it's from MS (checked all the internal codes in the source), seems that MS wouldn't need to be phishing.
 
Have had a couple that looked like MS. The scammers are getting good. finally found NOT MS originated, but "washed" through their service, sort of like Spamazon can do.
Got a hyperlink to click on? Right click should show you actual source.

I refuse to have a MicroSlime account. Even when I got my last OS and it said I MUST generate a MS account to continue install.....nope.
 
Yep - the link goes to: accounts.microsoft.com

I doubt MS would try phishing on someone they think they've already got an account with.

So has anyone received an email like the one I posted above?

Thanks.
Tom M.
 
Run Tom, run!

 
back at ya Elliot!

 
And nothing past that on the hyperlink, like /w35/setup? Anything?

The issue is it's "account.microsoft.com", not "accounts".

If there is something after it, could be anything.
 
noop - only account.microsoft.com.

nothing after the .com

accounts.microsoft.com goes to the same page as account.microsoft.com
 
 
OK - thanks. Have you ever had an email reporting there was an unusual sign-in on your Microsoft account?

That's what I'm trying to find out - has anyone else got one of those "unusual sign in" emails.

TOC said:
Yes, I have received e-mails from Microslime. I report and log for 30 days, then delete.
Like on-line banking, since I never have had and will not have, automatic report and log.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...soft-account-unusual-sign-in-activity-emails/

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...t-a-scam/7aae6c71-a78e-4036-a4db-c304182b0e86

https://securityintelligence.com/ne...ributes-fake-microsoft-account-notifications/

https://community.norton.com/en/forums/fake-email-microsoft-account-team-watch-out
Click to expand...
 
Yes, but it's been a while. Recently, the scammers are using more low-hanging fruit and doing that with earthlink. Hundreds of them this year.
Those links discuss that.
Since you don't HAVE a MS account, and never signed up for one, how do they know you have logged into a non-existent account from an e-mail address they don't know about?
Unless you drank the Kool-Aid and got a Office 365 account for use with the Cloud. You're certain you never signed up for any of their monetization programs?
Play Sherlock Holmes for a while. You never signed up, so them blocking your inbox, contacts list and calendar for an account you don't have is a stretch.
Main focus of Phishing is to see who they can snag to reveal log in information to whatever the scam of the day is.
It's easy to generate an e-mail address, or purchase a list of known good addresses, and broadcast out to whoever.
You report it, with full headers, to MS, let them deal with it.

junk@office365.microsoft.com
abuse@microsoft.com

I always do both, as 30 days after you report to the ARIN listed abuse reporting address of
abuse@microsoft.com you'll get a refusal e-mail that says, gee, you need to report to office365, so I just do both up front.

The other remote possibility is someone hacked your gmail account and signed up for a MS account, but that's a waste of their time for no gain of any of your personal data.
 
All good suggestions. Still don't know why I got the email from microsoft. The source code shows the sending address, and it came directly from microsoft.com.

Also note that the examples in those links don't match the emails I've been receiving.

Onward through the fog!
Tom M.
 
An answer I got......

In Microsoft systems, but if I'd have to guess, a Microsoft account might be created for a Gmail address if someone shares something with them like an Office 365 document, if they used the address to set up Office 365, etc...
 
OK - thanks for the details. I've been using OpenOffice for years, never bought or downloaded any versions of Office. I did use Office back in the 1990s at my job, but that was before I had a gmail address.

Unless someone else says they've received the email I got, I'll just let it be Gone With The Wind.
 
I've had a MS account for many years and only a glitch in the system at times has caused concern but usually fixable. I also use Open Office as it does everything I need now and the MS Office fee is gone. :encouragement:
 
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