Vista - Beware - fake email, microsoft update notifications

**THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE I RECEIVED TO MY EMAIL INBOX**

**IF YOU RECEIVE THE SAME MESSAGE, **DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT** untill further checks have been done...................



Dear Microsoft Customer,

Please notice that Microsoft company has recently issued a Security Update for OS Microsoft Windows. The update applies to the following OS versions: Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Millenium, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista.

Please notice, that present update applies to high-priority updates category. In order to help protect your computer against security threats and performance problems, we strongly recommend you to install this update.

Since public distribution of this Update through the official website http://www.microsoft.com would have result in efficient creation of a malicious software, we made a decision to issue an experimental private version of an update for all Microsoft Windows OS users.

As your computer is set to receive notifications when new updates are available, you have received this notice.

In order to start the update, please follow the step-by-step instruction:
1. Run the file, that you have received along with this message.
2. Carefully follow all the instructions you see on the screen.

If nothing changes after you have run the file, probably in the settings of your OS you have an indication to run all the updates at a background routine. In that case, at this point the upgrade of your OS will be finished.

We apologize for any inconvenience this back order may be causing you.


Thank you,

Steve Lipner
Director of Security Assurance
Microsoft Corp.


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there was also an attatched file, NAMED AS - KB320166.exe (33KB)

upon reviewing the email, i believe it may be fake due to the following:

**As your computer is set to receive notifications when new updates are available, you have received this notice.** TO AN EMAIL??? YOU WHAT...

.

WHEN YOUR COMPUTER IS CONFIGUED FOR MICROSOFT UPDATE, YOU DONT GET AN EMAIL TELLING YOU ABOUT THE UPDATE. YOU CAN HAVE UPDATE NOTIFICATION EMAILS (optional)... but check the email address the message came from...

the FAKE message i got was from: securityassurance@microsoft.com

but.. the fact is, i only get notifications to a HOTMAIL account, so if this is a real notification, why did i receive it to a YAHOO.CO.UK account????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

not possible

if anyone knows if this is a real update, or has experimented with the file attached to the email, let me know how your computer is running and were you give any more info about it... e.g what is the update for...

might i also add that google cant find anything to do with: KB320166.exe

Thats really fake I'm suprised I haven't gotten that. (now I'll probably get since I said I haven't gotten it)

i know. its stupid, if they really want to trick us, they are gonna have to way better than that... it need's to be spot on, which they obviusly havnt got the brains to do... stupid criminals

If I don't know the email address I just click on report phishing scam button.

i was trying to but it seems there is not a button to do that, becuase i received it through yahoo.co.uk...however i do know that there is one with hotmail.co.uk/.com.

do you think i should forwared it to my hotmail account and then report it???

It wouldn't hurt I guess.

very true.. also i have just been looking at your PC specs.. i noticed you have a nVidia 8400gs did you install the update released through microsoft update about 1 or 2 weeks ago.... i did and i got loads of screen blinking and a slightly slower uptime... so i uninstalled and reinstalled and did not sort the problem out... so i have rolled back to original version and working fine... have you had any problems with yours

I never download through windows update I go directly to nvidia's site cause windows update drivers are like 2 versions behind

i currently have version 7.15.11.6369 i dont suppose you know what the latest is??