A new scam is making the rounds via email. It pretends to be a receipt for a Microsoft 365 subscription renewal—usually with a high price to scare you. Worse – noone is sure how the hackers are doing it.
The email urges you to call a phone number if the charge looks wrong. But don’t call! That number connects you to scammers who’ll try to steal your money or personal information.
It starts with a very sincere looking email that appears to be from Microsoft with the standard ‘no reply’ address that Microsoft uses ([email protected]) .
The trick here is in the Billing section which has changed to show a ‘Microsoft’ contact number. The number is really a scammer who tries to trick people into downloading ‘special’ software to help fix the problem.
Worryingly, Kapersky and others aren’t sure how the criminals are doing this. The email is more than a simple fake message. You can be sure that the smarties at Microsoft and elsewhere are working on that as you read this.
What to do instead
- ALWAYS check your real Microsoft account or payment method.
- Login to your account directly NOT using any link in the email.
- If there is a charge it’ll show up in the Billing section of your Microsoft account.
- NEVER call numbers in emails. Always double-check the number from another source like web site, previous statement or, for banks, the back of a credit/debit card.
- Delete the email and report it as phishing.
- NEVER download ‘special’ software suggested by a supposed ‘support’ person.
Always double-check the contact details in the message before responding to unexpected messages about money or subscriptions.
