Is this a genuine request from Windows Live Customer Care?

[Stanfordian]

I was wondering if this email from Windows Live Customer Care is genuine or not? It asks for my User name; Password; Date of Birth and Country Or Territory. The email reads:

From:
coca * cola * kid * cp at hotmail dot com


ACCOUNT@ UPDATED
Dear Account User,

This email is from Windows Live Customer Care. We are sending it to all account owners for account upgrade. We are experiencing network congestion due to anonymous registration of email accounts. To prevent this, we are shutting down unconfirmed accounts and your account is scheduled to be deactivated.

Kindly verify and let us know if your account is still valid. Click on the reply button and fill in your information:

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

This back up is necessary for update and to avoid blocking of your account. If you do not respond to this message. you will lose your account permanently.

Thank you for your usual co-operation. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Member Service Team.
This assumes a reasonable growth rate. Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, please read our online Privacy Statement.
For more information or for general questions regarding your e-mail account, please visit Windows Live Hotmail Help.

Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA ? 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[salymap]

I'm the last person to actually KNOW, but my gut feeling is avoid - do not reply. It sounds very like a scam to me.

If genuine they know all that anyway and could quote your details and ask if they are still correct.

[Ariosto]

Definitely sounds like a scam. I never answer anything like this and always delete.

[johnb]

Of course it's a scam !!!!!

It is such a pity that so many people think it might be genuine.

[DracoM]

Scam. Do not touch with long spoon.

[Stanfordian]

Of course it's a scam !!!!!

It is such a pity that so many people think it might be genuine.

That must include me. Far too trusting I guess. Thanks for all the assitance. I've marked it as a phishing scam.

[Flay]

There are many similar fishing emails like this. The first thing to look at is who is the sender. Clearly it wasn't Microsoft in this case. Organisations should never ask for your password. At most they should give you the opportunity to re-set it.

[johnb]

Even if the apparent sender appears to be genuine that doesn't mean that the actual sender hasn't covered their tracks. Some times this is apparent when (in Outlook 2003 at least) you click on 'View' then 'Options' where you can see more detailed information.

The best advice is adopt the policy 'If it could possibly be a scam then it almost certainly is one'.

Incidentally, in e-mails such as this NEVER, EVER trust the links to a website. They can direct you to bogus sites which might look identical to the real thing but are set up with the sole purpose of harvesting your details.

[Edit] .... and NEVER download any pictures in Outlook for an e-mail which you have ANY doubt about. By default Outlook asks whether to download pictures but this can be (foolishly) changed. If Outlook does automatically download pictures that are part of an e-mail it is important that you stop it doing so: Tools/Options/Security/Change Automatic Download Settings - tick all the items. (These are instructions for Outlook 2003 but other versions of Outlook with have similar options.)

[kernelbogey]

The best advice is adopt the policy 'If it could possibly be a scam then it almost certainly is one'.

Incidentally, in e-mails such as this NEVER, EVER trust the links to a website.

Nor open an attachment from an unknown sender. (I've had several bogus emails purporting (for example) to be from UPS saying 'We've tried to deliver a parcel to you; details in the attachment'; or from airlines re a ticket. ETC.)

[Gordon]

[B]I was wondering if this email from Windows Live Customer Care is genuine or not? It asks for my User name; Password; Date of Birth and Country Or Territory. The email reads:

From: coca * cola * kid * cp at hotmail dot com


ACCOUNT@ UPDATED
Dear Account User,

This email is from Windows Live Customer Care. We are sending it to all account owners for account upgrade. We are experiencing network congestion due to anonymous registration of email accounts. To prevent this, we are shutting down unconfirmed accounts and your account is scheduled to be deactivated.

Kindly verify and let us know if your account is still valid. Click on the reply button and fill in your information:

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

This back up is necessary for update and to avoid blocking of your account. If you do not respond to this message. you will lose your account permanently.

Thank you for your usual co-operation. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Member Service Team.
This assumes a reasonable growth rate. Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, please read our online Privacy Statement.
For more information or for general questions regarding your e-mail account, please visit Windows Live Hotmail Help.

Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA ? 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Ignore it!!! Phishing.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

This back up is necessary for update and to avoid blocking of your account. If you do not respond to this message. you will lose your account permanently.

This is the sort of phrase to look out for: any element of "threat" is designed to create a sense of urgency in the reader. No "legit" company is going to risk losing a customer like this.

[gradus]

I still occasionally get phone calls from 'Microsoft' telling me that my computer has been invaded by viruses etc. Annoying but an excellent opportunity to exercise freedom of speech.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I still occasionally get phone calls from 'Microsoft' telling me that my computer has been invaded by viruses etc. Annoying but an excellent opportunity to exercise freedom of speech.

[Don Petter]

I have a friend without a computer who managed to prolong such a conversation for some ten minutes before revealing that fact, much to the caller's annoyance!

[Beef Oven]

Do what I do. I say "the computer belongs to my brother, he's upstairs. I'll go and get him, don't go away".

Go back every 45 seconds and say "he's just coming, hang on".

Then leave the 'phone on the sofa and let the prat just hang on for as long as he is stupid enough to hang on for while you carry on with what you were doing!

Just remember to put the 'phone back at the end.