Message to “Change Your Email Address” Mistakenly Sent to Windows Live Users   - 1,034 Views, 1 Comment

Summary: Countless Microsoft Windows Live Instant Messenger users recieved a message yesterday - a legitimate, genuine message from "messenger@microsoft.com" - telling them that they needed to change their email address in order to continue using the Windows Live service. The problem was, while it was a real message from Microsoft, it was sent accidentally, and was not true.

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Countless Microsoft Windows Live Instant Messenger users recieved a message yesterday - a legitimate, genuine message from “messenger@microsoft.com” - telling them that they needed to change their email address in order to continue using the Windows Live service. The problem was, while it was a real message from Microsoft, it was sent accidentally, and was not true.

Oops.

Said Microsoft, in a blog post later in the day, “We sincerely apologize, but this was accidentally sent out. If you received this notification today, please ignore it. You will be able to continue to use your current e-mail address, and there is no reason to make any changes.”

Users who clicked the link were greeted with what had to be a confounding message of “Windows Live ID can’t be changed at this time.”

All of this raises the question - there were at least two kinds of users who received that message - those who didn’t click because they thought it was a phishing attempt, and those who clicked it because they immediately believed it.

Which is the greater problem?

Message to “Change Your Email Address” Mistakenly Sent to Windows Live Users

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For additional similar stories check out our archives on Instant Messengers, Microsoft

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1 Comment »

  1. Live Instant Messenger users were not the only one’s affected by this goof up. I was unable to log on to my hotmail account for two day’s because of it. Every time I would tey to log onto my hotmail account, it would tell mr that I did not have an account yet and to go make a new hotmail account! I have had a hotmail account sense 2001!!!

    Comment by John — 4/11/2009 @ 8:48 am

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 This article first appeared on 4/8/2009
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