Do I need to Update your Terms of Service through an emailed link? Or is it a scam?

Question

I received the email below. Is this genuine? Or a scam?

Mail from: ******@aol.com

Microsoft has updated its Terms of Service, Security, and Privacy Policy. Please note that support for older system versions will end on Today 26, 2026.

To ensure uninterrupted access to your mailbox after January 29, 2026, you must review and accept the updated Terms of Service. This process takes less than a minute and helps keep your account secure with the latest updates.

[Click Here To Update Now](https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fqrco.de%2FbgaH3T&data=05%7C02%7C%7C1e58cca70bbf432a9bce08de5ced04b9%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639050370240718661%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yzZs1sYI32GoFERAxrjVzANohbP74DYC3RZA0mY%2BFTs%3D&reserved=0"Beveiligd in Outlook: https://qrco.de/bgaH3T. Klik of tik om de koppeling te volgen.")

Important:

If you do not complete this update, your mailbox will be deactivated, and all stored data will be permanently deleted.

This is an automated message. Please do not reply, as this mailbox is not monitored.

Answer 1

The email you received is likely a phishing scam. Microsoft support emails will come from specific domains such as microsoft.com, microsoftsupport.com, or mail.support.microsoft.com. An email from an address like ******@aol.com does not match these domains and is therefore suspicious.

Additionally, legitimate emails from Microsoft will not ask you to click on links to update your Terms of Service or account information. If you suspect an email is a phishing attempt, do not click on any links or provide any personal information. You can report the email and learn more about identifying phishing scams through Microsoft’s resources.

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References:

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