Is this Onedrive email a phishing attempt?
QIt seems I’m being targeted by a phishing attempt, because I’ve had an email purportedly from Microsoft saying that my Onedrive account is about to be deleted. This includes mention of work and university, presumably to quell any suspicions. What do you think? John Lindley
AWe’re a bit confused.
Yes, there are endless phishing attempts of this nature, and certainly you seem convinced that this is one. However, the reason phishing attempts work at all is because they often mimic legitimate messages from wellknown firms, such as Microsoft. A perfect phishing attempt would therefore be all but indistinguishable from the real thing, though one or more of the links would take you to a place the perpetrator wants you to go – or else what would be the point?
For its part, Microsoft does indeed send out messages exactly like this, to warn owners of dormant Onedrive accounts that their service will be terminated and any stored data deleted. But we do mean exactly like the one you forwarded: every link in the message you received leads to a legitimate Microsoft page, and we therefore must conclude either that it’s a genuine Microsoft email or a completely pointless phishing effort! To be crystal clear, though, we believe it is a real Microsoft email.
That begs the question: do you recognise the email address flagged in the message? We can’t publish that address but we think you do recognise it, and we believe that it’s related to your university (or work, if you’re employed by or study there). We suspect, therefore, that this is a legitimate Microsoft email about a Onedrive account that was set up and associated with your university email address – perhaps beyond your original control?
Microsoft explains this very scenario – and what to do about it – on its website, at www.snipca.com/33404 (see screenshot). The short version is that the Onedrive account associated with the email has been unused for two years and, if you don’t log into it soon, everything will be deleted. We can’t say why that Onedrive account has gone unused for two years, but it could be that you’ve left the college and no longer use the account? It might be the same as the Onedrive account that you use on your own home PC, say.
So that’s what we think. What you do with our thoughts is up to you!