I was actually allowing for those times you get an email to ‘validate your email address’ during account creation steps - that 1% of the time you are actively doing something that results in an ‘email validation’ step.
All others should be treated as scam/phishing - if you have reason to check, go thru normal process and never follow a link (in an email)
I work in IT and am very skeptical by nature, but these look legit to me. Most email providers send emails like this if you don’t have two-factor turned on. For example, I have GMail accounts I care about, so I have 2-factor on and don’t get these. But I’ve never bothered turning it on for the account I use for one-off registrations, and I get a similar email any time I’m on a new device or in a new location.
If your email account is configured in a desktop app like Outlook, it could trigger this email even if you aren’t on their web site. If it’s on a laptop, the login attempt will be flagged if you’re in a different location, even if it’s the same device. And if you are running the browser in incognito mode, it could be triggered every time you log in anywhere.
Like others say, it’s best not to click the links in the email. Instead, sign in to your Hotmail account online, where there should be a section where you can review recent security activity. You can approve or deny the requests from there. And if you don’t see any notifications, then you know these emails were spoofed.
The risk of ignoring this completely and assuming the emails are scams are that they could be legitimately alerting you to a potential issue. If someone is repeatedly trying to log in to your email account, it’s better to address that.
See OP
I used my tablet, connected to their wifi, but I never signed in again as the app was already open. I did get another one of those emails overnight; don’t know if it was a legit but time-delayed from using a different location or just a timing coincidence.
I’m actually using a 3rd party app (BlueMail) to access my mail.
There are only two “reminders” there; both months old. One must have been auto-added as it looks like something that may have been legit, & like I said in the OP, I don’t use their calendar. The other is for my ‘birthday’. If I was forced to enter a b-date when I signed up for this account many years ago, I’m not sure why I would have that particular day/month in there as it’s not even one of the BS dates I typically use.
Another spam or legit dilemma. Could it really have been just a lucky guess? Anyway, great copywriting.
From: jun.leung@lecake.com
To: mail@alomzoswhitebeard.net
Face the facts: you are useless
It’s finally the time to face the facts: yes, you’re worthless. Your wife is simply being considerate every time she says she is happy with you. Your impotence ruined your wife’s happiness.
Click this link to put an end to it.
Oooh, a siren; is that a good siren?