Warning about fake “account verification” email I received

I am posting this as a warning because I almost lost access to my exchange account yesterday.

I received an email that looked exactly like it came from the exchange I use. The logo was correct. The colors were correct. Even the wording sounded professional. The subject line said there was unusual activity detected and that I needed to verify my account immediately.

The email included a button that said secure account now.

For a few seconds I was ready to click it. The message created urgency and fear. It said withdrawals would be frozen if I did not act quickly.

Before clicking, I noticed something small. The sender address was slightly different from the official domain. It had one extra word added in the middle. Very easy to miss.

Instead of clicking the link, I opened a new browser tab and manually typed the exchange website. There was no security alert inside my account. Everything was normal.

That is when I understood the email was fake.

Out of curiosity I hovered over the button in the email. The link did not lead to the real exchange domain. It was a lookalike website.

If I had logged in through that link, they would have captured my password and possibly my two factor code.

This is just a reminder that scam emails are getting more convincing. They copy branding perfectly. They create urgency. They rely on panic.

If you ever receive a security alert email, do not click the link inside it. Open the official website manually and check from there.

Small details matter.

Stay careful.