Mailbox Qouta Full Upgrade Phishing Scam

An email claiming your mailbox qouta is full and you need to upgrade has been identified by MailShark spam filters as a phishing scam. The email claims to be sent by Microsoft security and is phishing for your log in data. Microsoft is an American multinational technology company founded by Bill Gates. Keep reading to find out more about this dangerous scam attempt and be sure to delete it from your inbox.

Figure A shows the mailbox qouta full upgrade phishing scam in question. A stand out issue with this email is the major spelling mistake with the word “quota” which is spelled as “qouta” in the subject line and throughout this article. The full subject line reads “Your Mailbox Qouta is Full Upgrade” which (without the spelling mistake) would be a concerning email and would be quickly opened. The sender is shown as “Email Administrator” as an attempt to be generic – the email address used looks official, but is actually an advanced scam tactic and is in no way related to the official Microsoft website.

Within the email, it is mostly text with a single hyperlink encouraging you to “click here”. When reading the content you will notice it pushes you to verify your account within 24 hours or all your incoming messages will be deleted – this is a scare tactic into getting your click to the next page. The receivers email address is also used (in black for privacy reasons) as an attempt to convince you the email is legitimate.

Nothing about this email is real – delete it straight away and do not click the link.

MailShark Mailbox Qouta Full Upgrade Phishing Scam — Figure A – Click to Enlarge

Figure B is a safely captured screenshot of the website you will land on if the single link is clicked. It is a generic looking log in page which is supposed to mimic your email address log in page. Entering your data here will lead to it being stolen, stored and shared. If you reach this page do not click anywhere or enter any information.

Also note the 2014 date at the bottom, which could mean these scammers are re-using an old scam template which would explain the outdated design.

MailShark Your Mailbox Qouta is Full Upgrade Visit Website — Figure B – Click to Enlarge

If you think you are at risk, update your email log in credentials immediately through your official providers’ website and contact your provider if needed. MailShark strongly suggest deleting this email from your inbox and getting a scam filter in place to avoid future emails of the same nature.