Recently received email

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Recently received email

Carol Walden 0

I recently received an email from Microsoft re Microsoft Defender, which went into my junk mail. Please would you confirm that it did come from you before I do an update.

Thank you

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Answer 1

Do not confirm it as legitimate based only on the fact that it mentions Microsoft Defender or because it landed in Junk.

Use these checks before doing anything:

Verify the sender domain.
- Microsoft account security emails from Microsoft use @accountprotection.microsoft.com.
- If the message claims to be from Microsoft but comes from a different or misspelled domain, treat it as suspicious.
Do not click links or open attachments in the email yet.
- If an email looks suspicious, do not open links or attachments.
- Hover over links without clicking and check whether the destination matches a legitimate Microsoft domain.
Look for Outlook warning signs.
- If Outlook shows a banner saying it could not verify the sender, remain cautious.
- Yellow or red safety bars in Outlook indicate blocked or potentially unsafe content.
If the email is about account security or changes, check account activity directly.
- Review recent activity at https://account.live.com/activity.
- If there is unexpected activity, secure the account immediately.
If the message is asking for an “update” through an email link, treat that as suspicious.
- Similar reported emails that push users to click a link to update Outlook or accept terms have been identified as phishing scams.

If the sender is not @accountprotection.microsoft.com, or the message includes pressure to click a link or install something, delete it. If there is any doubt, access Microsoft services directly through the normal sign-in pages instead of using the email.