I'm getting emails saying if I don't update info. by Feb. 3, I will lose access to Outlook and Microsoft. Are they fraudulent?

Hello

Yes, this version of scam has been going around lately. The sender is usually using an aol.com email address, which is not even a Microsoft address. Please ignore. Microsoft doesn't just terminate your account like that.

Messages that say you must “update your information by a specific date or lose access to Outlook/Microsoft” are almost always phishing scams.

Legitimate Microsoft security alerts never ask you to enter personal information through a link in an email or text.

Go to https://account.microsoft.com directly (don’t use any link in the message).

Sign in normally.

If Microsoft truly needs information, you will see a notification there.

If your account looks normal, the message was fraudulent.

Do not click any links in the email or text.

It's a good idea to report it using Microsoft’s “Report phishing” option in Outlook. Also block the sender.

Emails requesting you to provide updated information under the threat of losing access to your account are often indicative of phishing scams. Microsoft support typically uses specific domains for legitimate communications, such as microsoft.com, microsoftsupport.com, and mail.support.microsoft.com. If the emails you received are from a different domain, they are likely fraudulent. Always verify the sender's email address and be cautious about providing personal information in response to such requests.

References:

• How do I know if an email from Microsoft support is genuine?