'Account Version is Outdated' Email Scam

Email messages are one of the top ways that cybercriminals and con artists use to contact their potential victims. We have discussed countless times how fake email attachments may be aiming to deliver a malicious payload such as ransomware or an information stealer. But emails without an attachment could also be dangerous – like the 'Account Version is Outdated' Email Scam.

While most email scams are easily recognizable, there are some more sophisticated ones – like the one we will be discussing. The 'Account Version is Outdated' Email Scam appears to target users of various email providers, and prompts them to upgrade their inbox in order to continue using the services. Allegedly, failure to do so may result in the account being terminated permanently. Furthermore, the message looks somewhat professional, and points users to an external page where the upgrade process will take place.

The catch is that the link in the 'Account Version is Outdated' Email Scam leads to a phishing site. There, users are told to confirm their email login credentials to complete the verification & upgrade process. If you fall for this, the criminals will get your username and password. As you can probably already guess, having cybercriminals access your inbox is a critical issue – they might be able to compromise dozens of your accounts. Always be wary of random and unexpected emails asking you to upgrade or confirm an account – especially if you do not recognize the sender. Do not follow the instructions in the message and, instead, research the issue manually. For example, if you check your email provider's website for information about an 'upgrade' you will find that there is nothing of this sort.