# Verify hotmail account is a scam ?



## Dregna (Jan 15, 2010)

Today I got an email from this guy

*Windows Live* (ah1046@hotmail.com)

It asked me to verify my account within one week before it was closed. With this I have noticed something wrong. The email of this sender's not a real Window live...I have ever got newsletter from window live and they did not use this simple hotmail to send their information. I though this's a scam or some fucking brainess guy 's job

this is the true one, right?
communications@microsoft.windowslive.com

I am right, right ?


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## quayza (Jan 15, 2010)

He most likely wants to hack your email and get all your information for some reason unknown.


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## PheonixStar (Jan 15, 2010)

All the earmarks of a scam. I would definitely not click any links in the email, and not ever put in your password there.


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## Piscin (Jan 15, 2010)

Obvious phishing attempt.  Hotmail/Windows Live Mail/whatever it is called never contacts you to verify your info unless you contact them first, i.e. password reset request.


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## Hir (Jan 15, 2010)

Hmm, to be safe, give me your password and I'll scan the emai*banned*


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## Dregna (Jan 15, 2010)

I have just opened the email and did not send anythin back to him, does it mean I have been hacked yet ?


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## quayza (Jan 15, 2010)

Not sure but watch your back.


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## Piscin (Jan 15, 2010)

You should be safe.
If you clicked the link or opened any attachments, then you would be in trouble.
If you are still worried the easiest thing to do is just change you hotmail password now.


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## Ricky (Jan 15, 2010)

My guess is if they are not asking account info (which you should never give out in the first place) it is probably from a directory harvest attack (or they maybe found your email in a search) and I wouldn't reply unless you want a shit ton of SPAM.  They would send you that so they verify the email is valid which is why they want a response.

Then again, the verify link could have some potential XSS stuff in a link if Hotmail has some holes in it or could direct you to a malicious site, who knows.

If you are actively using your account I'd just delete it.  There is no reason they would need to verify if it's active if you're using it regularly.


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## CynicalCirno (Jan 15, 2010)

A person with ah238517023752658912639857 as a name would be a hacker/spammer for sure.
These people send these emails to tons of people, trying to see who will fall and they check if they got important treasure with it.
If you didn't give information you will be perfectly fine, although changing the password is reccommend.
If you gave information, it's time for new email.


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## Duality Jack (Jan 15, 2010)

NO WAY! that person is not a spammer Send them your credit info and you Sim number for a SPECIAL PRIZE.


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## Dregna (Jan 15, 2010)

Ok thank you for all recommend


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## Aden (Jan 15, 2010)

Dregna said:


> I have just opened the email and did not send anythin back to him, does it mean I have been hacked yet ?



...that's not how the internet works, son.


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## PheonixStar (Jan 15, 2010)

You've got to click links or open stuff to get in trouble, really.

It wouldn't hurt you to run MalwareBytes, though. http://www.malwarebytes.org/


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## Ieatcrackersandjumpcliffs (Jan 15, 2010)

Window Live doesn't need your information. Didn't they tell you this when you got your account?


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## Ozriel (Jan 15, 2010)

A patron asked me about this earlier.
It is a scam.


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## Runefox (Jan 15, 2010)

Seriously? This is like Phishing 101. Totally a scam.

As a general rule, if _anyone_ asks you to sign in to "verify your account", never take their word for it in an e-mail, especially if it's for e-mail/financial purposes. If you want to be sure, go *directly* to the site in question (don't click *any* links in the e-mail). There are plenty of ways to spot a scam - One of the most obvious is to hover over the link and see where it's going to send you. If, for example, you get an e-mail purportedly from Paypal and the link to "sign in" goes to some other domain (like paypalaccounts.scamoffice.com), you can be pretty sure that it's fake.

You can't always tell by the e-mail sender, but in this case it's a rather huge failure on the part of the phisher. Most good phishers would have masqueraded the e-mail address (which is stupidly simple to do, just as it is to masquerade a false return address on real mail) to prevent someone like OP from realizing that it's a scam right away.

General rule of thumb, again, is never to trust anything you receive unexpectedly in your e-mail inbox asking you to "verify" something.


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## Ty Vulpine (Jan 15, 2010)

Runefox said:


> Seriously? This is like Phishing 101. Totally a scam.
> 
> As a general rule, if _anyone_ asks you to sign in to "verify your account", never take their word for it in an e-mail, especially if it's for e-mail/financial purposes. If you want to be sure, go *directly* to the site in question (don't click *any* links in the e-mail). There are plenty of ways to spot a scam - One of the most obvious is to hover over the link and see where it's going to send you. If, for example, you get an e-mail purportedly from Paypal and the link to "sign in" goes to some other domain (like paypalaccounts.scamoffice.com), you can be pretty sure that it's fake.
> 
> ...




Also if it says "Dear Paypal member" (if from Paypal), it's a scam. Paypal always address you by your name.


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## ChaoticSpark (Jan 17, 2010)

Aden said:


> ...that's not how the internet works, son.



YES, YES IT IS. Tubes, man, tubes.

Clogged tubes.


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