Hotmail Scam?

Oregonian · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:52 am **(#1)**

I received this email in my Hotmail account and I believe it is a scam. Note that it is supposed to be answered by clicking the reply button. Also, note that it asks for your Hotmail password. Hotmail staff would definitely not be asking for your password.

This was in the header part of the email. Windows Live Team: beautybabexx????

Supposed Hotmail Team wrote:

Dear Account User,

This message is from our data base center to all Hotmail 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.

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

Warning!!! Account owner that fails to verify his/her account after two weeks of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.

AFTER VERIFICATION,A MESSAGE WILL BE SENT TO YOU AFTER WHICH YOU ARE ADVISED TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD IMMEDIATELY.

Sincerely,
The Windows Live Hotmail Team

Dick Craddock

bkh1914 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:09 am **(#2)**

I don't have a Hotmail account...
But every time I've gotten a legitimate request from a site, they always tell you to log into your account and do any required work there.

Definitely a scam.

I occasionally get messages like that from sites/companies that I have absolutely no electronic connection with.

Gms9810 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:10 am **(#3)**

I ran an experiment once. I opened a hotmail account, i didn't use it or give it out. it just say there for a week unknown. i made the same account with gmail, also didn't use it or give it out. Then after a week i went and checked them. Hotmail had over 100 pieces of junk mail. gmail had none. that tld me one thing: that hotmail sold my address as soon as the account was opened. Because of that I stick with gmail.

ofnuts · **Joined:** Oct 25, 2010 **Posts:** 4812

They aren't asking the password anywhere? I think it's more like the owner of a large collection of email addresses trying to find out which are really useful to keep.

ofnuts · **Joined:** Oct 25, 2010 **Posts:** 4812

Gms9810 wrote:

I ran an experiment once. I opened a hotmail account, i didn't use it or give it out. it just say there for a week unknown. i made the same account with gmail, also didn't use it or give it out. Then after a week i went and checked them. Hotmail had over 100 pieces of junk mail. gmail had none. that tld me one thing: that hotmail sold my address as soon as the account was opened. Because of that I stick with gmail.

Of GMail has a better filtering... Unless you used an account name that looked like a high-security password, it could have been generated by "brute force".

Oregonian · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:15 am **(#6)**

Hotmail has cleaned up its act and I only get an occasional junk mail in there. This is the first one I've had in months. If I get something that is junk, I mark it as junk and I never hear from that person again. Same way with gmail.

It's a good idea to change your password in webmail accounts on a regular basis.

Even your IP email gets an occasional junk email.

Oregonian · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:16 am **(#7)**

ofnuts wrote:

They aren't asking the password anywhere?

If you'll scroll down in that quoted email you will see that they are asking for the password.

"fill the information below.

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

Willy · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:17 am **(#8)**

Code: Select all

Warning!!! Account owner that fails to verify his/her account after two weeks of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.

AFTER VERIFICATION,A MESSAGE WILL BE SENT TO YOU AFTER WHICH YOU ARE ADVISED TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD IMMEDIATELY.

Since most companies usually yell at there customers

:ninja

lylejk · **Joined:** Sep 24, 2010 **Posts:** 12845

I've been using Yahoo mail since 1997 (believe that was the year; memory beginning to fade. lol). Around early to mid 2000s, there use to be a lot of spam mail in my inbox but Yahoo now does a pretty good job of putting the spam in the spam folder. Occasionally a legitimate emails gets put in the Spam folder so I do check it daily and filter by the subject and the person who sent it. More then occasionally still, I get spam in my inbox though so no 100% solution unfortunately. Wouldn't touch Hotmail with a 10 foot pole by the way. lol

Willy · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 10:36 am **(#10)**

I have a Live email (I thought it was hotmail) and I never get ANY spam, my inbox has 4 emails in it...

Oregonian · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 11:00 am **(#11)**

lylejk wrote:

Wouldn't touch Hotmail with a 10 foot pole by the way. lol

I have the same Hotmail account I got when I first went online (dialup) which was with Windows 95. I've seen a lot of changes in it and it works well for me. They've cleaned up their act very nicely.

lylejk · **Joined:** Sep 24, 2010 **Posts:** 12845

That's cool. I do use Skydrive O (don't have to have a Hotmail account in order to get Skydrive). I still remember a lot of bad press over the years and just didn't keep up with Hotmail after that.

ofnuts · **Joined:** Oct 25, 2010 **Posts:** 4812

Oregonian wrote:

It's a good idea to change your password in webmail accounts on a regular basis.

Even your IP email gets an occasional junk email.

What difference do you make between the two? Same mailbox, different access methods, no?

Oregonian · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 2:07 pm **(#14)**

I forwarded the email to [email protected] and got a reply that they received it. Hopefully the abuser will get dumped from Hotmail/Windows Live permanently.

GnuTux · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 3:08 pm **(#15)**

At one time, AT&T maintained their own email servers but now they've dumped everyone into Yahoo Mail. I never use it, except to check for ISP messages and delete them. I just love targeted ADs along with my email. I wonder how much spying and data mining occurs on those "Free" email accounts? Quite a bit, I'm sure.

Willy · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 3:10 pm **(#16)**

@Tux

can I have a @gimchat.com email adress :lol

That way you can be sure that no one knows your email but people you want to know it... you could even go rogue and sell them to companies to get faster and better servers for us here.

Gms9810 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 6:30 pm **(#17)**

ofnuts wrote:

Gms9810 wrote:

I ran an experiment once. I opened a hotmail account, i didn't use it or give it out. it just say there for a week unknown. i made the same account with gmail, also didn't use it or give it out. Then after a week i went and checked them. Hotmail had over 100 pieces of junk mail. gmail had none. that tld me one thing: that hotmail sold my address as soon as the account was opened. Because of that I stick with gmail.

Of GMail has a better filtering... Unless you used an account name that looked like a high-security password, it could have been generated by "brute force".

yes, that's why i use Gmail. much better filtering, and my passwords are never ever weak. I use as many characters as the site allows, a mixture of upper and loser case letters and digits, i use military grade is sites allow it. Brute force would never work with me, I've challenged people to hit me for 12 or 13 years and it has yet to be done. besides, my hotmail accout wasn't compromised, it was just full of spam when it had never been given out.

Rod · **Joined:** May 16, 2010 **Posts:** 16169

O i usually right click the message view source, copy and paste,and send that to support.That gives them a ton of more information on the person sending the mail.

I have been using Hotmail since 2004 and have never had a problem.Anytime you get a message stating they want your password report the message.It is always going to be a scam.

2-ton · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 7:04 pm **(#19)**

yes, definitely something phishy going on there.

Mike · **Joined:** Aug 27, 2010 **Posts:** 491

Dick Craddock? :rofl

Cool e-mail, Bro. Love the co.uk extension. All U.S. hotmail accounts are routed through the United Kingdom, don't you know.

If you read the hotmail terms of service they specifically tell you they will never ask you for your user information or password in an e-mail.