It seems that Microsoft is (perhaps inadvertently) employing dirty tactics to entice users like myself. Without having a Microsoft account, I am regularly receiving verification codes to log in. I’d usually dismiss these messages, but they come from official Microsoft.com domains. What’s more, I’m receiving hundreds of them. These messages may lead me to believe that someone else has created an account using my email address or that there’s a potential security risk associated with my email address.
By creating this sense of urgency and fear, Microsoft could be encouraging users like myself to create accounts out of concern for our own safety and the integrity of our personal data. This tactic plays on our natural desire for self-preservation and can lead us to take actions that may not have been initially intended.
However, it’s essential to note that this entire post is based on two facts:
- I’ve received hundreds of messages from official Microsoft domains claiming to have my verification codes.
- I don’t have a Microsoft account with that email address.
Is this a tactic that a middle manager can use to claim they brought in more users? Is this just another example of the awful tactics that Microsoft uses? Or is this post in the wrong community and it’s more of a bug that they should fix?
Thanks for your reply. It’s down to earth, compared to my speculation 😅 . I checked the DKIM signature (as well as the rest of the header) and it appears to be a genuine Microsoft message. Now, as to the old account theory, it might not be true, because I tried logging into Microsoft and was told there was no account associated with my email address. I suppose this also reduces the probability of the confused/mistyped address, since that person would’ve gotten the same ‘No account associated with this email address’ message.
That is why I lean toward the spearfishing campaign. Of course, I could be missing something and I just haven’t noticed…