Phishing email body:
We received a request from you to terminate your Office 365 email due to a dual college/universities account. This process has begun by our administrator. If you did not authorize this action and you have no knowledge of it, you are advised to re-verify your account. Please give us 24 hours to terminate your account if you initiated the request. Failure to re-verify will result in the closure of your account and you will lose all of my files on these 365 accounts.
If this request was made accidentally and you have no knowledge of it Copy and paste the URL Below into the address bar of your web browser to cancel the request
CLICK HERE TO CANCEL OR Copy And Paste The Url Below
(forms[.]yandex[.]com/u/68377ae...REDACTED..../)
Please note the one-time submission and entry only..
IT Support Team
Annotation
About the phishing email
The phishing email highlighted in this article impersonates the Information Technology (IT) Department targeting staff and students. It urges recipients to verify their email accounts by clicking a link. While the link appears to lead to a web form, it is deceptive and redirects users to a fraudulent web page designed to steal login credentials. The phishing email was first observed on May 28, 2025.
Why This Is Dangerous
The threat actor creates a sense of urgency and authority to trick users into clicking the link and entering their credentials on a fake login page. Once entered, this information can be used to:
- Access your email and sensitive data
- Impersonate you to others
- Launch further attacks within your organization
Tips on staying safe
Try these tips to protect yourself and your organization from phishing attacks:
- Do not click on suspicious links, do not respond to sender even if they appear to come from a familiar domain.
- Verify the sender by checking the email address carefully.
- Report suspicious emails to your IT department immediately.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security.
What to Do If You Clicked the Link
If you believe you may have interacted with the phishing email:
- Change your password in the Microsoft My Sign-ins portal located at https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info/password/change
- Notify the Technology Services Help Desk via email helpdesk@madisoncollege.edu or phone (608) 246-6666
- Monitor your account sign-ins for any unusual activity at https://mysignins.microsoft.com/